Make it in Time
by i.am.a.griffin
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts is lost and Ginny finds herself in the hands of Harry, who tells her she is the last fighter alive. He wraps a Time Turner around her neck, mutters an enchantment and is gone. She has to change the future. But how?
1. Defeat  May 2, 1998

Make It In Time

**Naturally, I'd like to point out that I do have the pleasure of saying that I created Harry Potter and the journey he and his companions go on. However, I am lying. The honor goes to Rowling.**

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Chapter One: Defeat - May 2, 1998

"Ginny! Ginny, you have to listen to me!" Harry yelled throwing things inside the bag, things she was not paying attention to. Everything was happening so fast. She was searching his face, attempting to force him to meet her eyes by some sort of magical telepathic force they evidently did not share. He kept working on filling the bag.

"Harry, what's going on? Where are Ron and Hermione and everyone? What's happening?" She clutched at him so hard it felt almost as if he wasn't really there.

They were alone inside of the Room of Requirement and below the Battle of Hogwarts was winding, the Death Eaters below loud as ever. The walls and floor shook beneath them and dust and stone crumbled around them. The Room of Requirement was splayed with lost artifacts of fighters that he travelled through and Ginny had no idea how Harry was finding everything he shoved inside the bag.

Finally, he looked up at her. "Please listen to me!" he shouted over the racket below, reverberating crashes and screams of terror, screams of death looking someone in the face, a snakelike face. She could literally feel the castle crumbling beneath them and she clutched to Harry harder for support, support which she seemed not to get at all. "They're dead. We're all dead."

"But-"

"Listen only," he commanded and she fell silent, terrified. He began wrapping around her neck a small hourglass encircled by wrought gold and connected to a thin gold chain. He began flipping the hourglass inside over and over again. "I'm sending you back. You have to change what's happened. We've lost but it's not supposed to happen this way. It can't."

"Is that a Time Turner? I thought they were all destroyed – "

"Dumbledore gave this one to me. It's enchanted."

"We? Wait a minute, what do you mean by we? I'm not dead. And you're not dead!"

He kept turning the hourglass forever. "No you're not dead. You're the only one left. We're all dead. All gone. But you're not. You have the power to change this."

"This is impossible you can't be dead! You're sitting…sitting right here in front of me!" She was crying now. "You're not dead."

He finished turning the hourglass and placed it inside her shirt, careful not to touch her skin. He held her trembling face in his hands and her tears went through him, sliding down her own face as if he wasn't even there. She realized this and cried harder.

"Harry, I don't understand," she said, her eyes refreshing a new wave of salty tears when he let go of her and put his own wand in the bag. "No…"

"I love you, with all my heart. And I know you can do this." He grabbed her hand which made her notice a small scratched ring on her left ring finger that had not been there before.

"You're not dead."

"We all are dead."

"Everyone?"

He kissed her lightly on the forehead and then once on the lips.

"I love you."

"I love you."

He mumbled something over her chest where the enchanted Time Turner was and she was gone.

* * *

She was not normally a crier but something inside her heart disallowed her tears from ceasing their production. She was shaking, struggling to breath, unable to conjure any idea of what was happening to her. When she wiped her eyes, the blur from her tears subsided momentarily for her to digest that she was still in the Room of Requirement. But it was not destroyed like it had been moments ago. In fact, there were large lancet windows that stretched from floor to ceiling that let the sunshine from outside glance through on the peacefulness of the room that seemed so out of place in her heart.

Ginny stood. Nothing was destroyed. Everything was perfect and for a fleeting moment, she thought she'd been dreaming. She went to the door, still shaking, tears still streaming her cheeks, and let herself out to find a group of boys she'd never seen before. All but one.

"Harry!" she called.

"What the bloody hell! How did you get here? You bloody appeared out of nowhere!" one of them screamed, but it was not Harry and she didn't look to see who it was. She only had eyes for Harry. She ran toward him and leapt into his arms.

She hugged him, clung to him, held his face; he was alive, healthy, just as he should be.

"Argh – ugh what?"

"You're alright, thank god you're ok. I love you." She held his face and kissed him hard on the mouth, throwing all of her passion into that one moment of bliss.

Harry seemed improperly affectionate however and she leaned back, but only enough for her eyes to meet his; the entire length of their bodies was pressed together without any space in between. She looked up at him with a concerned face. He tried to push her away.

She looked curiously into his beautiful brown eyes, framed perfectly by his round glasses for the answer to his distance.

Then she hyperventilated and passed out.

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**It would be wonderfully kind of you to review and tell me what you think. :)**


	2. A Slytherin?

**Thanks to:****TimeToWriteIsHistory,****Kellsabelle,dhmhtra375,****and****PHSYCOSUE for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**Nothing has changed. I do not, nor will I ever have quite the imagination to be honored in the creation of the Harry Potter series.**

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Chapter Two: A Slytherin?

"Professor is she going to be alright?" Remus asked as Peter fidgeted on the cushion beside him on the sofa. James was sitting in a chair behind him with his head in his hands. In front of him, behind a huge oak desk with papers strewn all about it was a square spectacled witch with a pointed hat and long dark rippling robes. Professor McGonagall was their Head of House. She knew exactly what to do in impossible situations such as this… randomly appearing girls who snog your best friend out of nowhere and then seize and collapse in a heap in front of your very eyes. And she had known exactly what to do.

Professor McGonagall had rushed up to the seventh floor corridor with Sirius and Remus following behind her and telling her exactly what had just occurred. After ignoring her desire to know why the four boys were up there in the first place when they should have been in class she levitated the red haired girl down to the infirmary. Taking about fifteen minutes to explain as much as she could to Madam Pomfrey, she dragged three of the boys (Sirius was serving a previously begotten detention and had to go off) to her office to properly understand what had happened.

"I believe she will be fine. She seems to be quite in shock but we're not sure over which. Now you say she kissed Mr. Potter?" She said this casually, as though it were not odd for her to be talking to her students about kissing. She was all business.

"Rather passionately," Peter answered shyly.

"Shut up, Wormtail," James grunted from behind and Peter shrugged.

"Look, Professor McGonagall, it should be made clear that James was merely an object in the matter. He played no part in the kissing I can assure you," Remus said, a bit more diplomatically.

"You don't need to be explaining that to me Mr. Lupin. That might be a better case for Miss Evans. I wouldn't doubt with Mr. Black down the hall and back again the entire school knows what's happened by now."

"Not if he wants to keep his teeth intact," James muttered and McGonagall frowned but said nothing. James groaned again and began pacing the stretch of the office floor.

Remus sighed. "Professor she literally appeared out of the wall. I thought I'd seen a door but really, it was just a wall. I don't know how she got there but she wasn't there for a long while before that. She came running towards James like she hadn't seen him twenty years and just…well attacked him I suppose."

"I understand. We will get to the bottom of this. I will be consulting the Headmaster as well, so don't be alarmed if he calls to see you and ask some questions. Meanwhile, the girl will be tended to by me, Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster so you need not to worry. I expect you to go on with your studies as you normally would. Or actually, better than you normally would. I believe you have classes to be going to. Off you go."

Together the boys left her office and headed down the corridor toward the Great Hall in silence, each in their own thoughts.

"Remus, what happened!" It was Lily Evans, the voice of another beautiful red-headed girl and Remus looked up to see flames rising in her pupils. She made a point to stand her back to James. "Sirius has been spouting all kinds of rubbish and I want to know if it's true! I'm not likely to believe everything he says right off the bat am I? I trust you though. What happened?"

"Lily, please, don't be upset with James – "

"So it's true! You did kiss her! I can't believe you. After all these years of pining after me, you finally get me and then go snogging some other witch! I swear I ought to perform the worst kind of hex on you!"

"I didn't kiss her! She kissed me! She popped out of the bloody wall for Merlin's sake and hopped my skin like I was the only person in the world generating heat."

"You are the most impossible, indolent, immature prats I've ever met! You're just like Sirius. Dating you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

"Deciding to be friends with Snape was the biggest mistake you ever made."

Lily crossed her arms over her shoulders and frowned but couldn't say anything in return. She agreed with him, by happenstance. But she was still angry. "Don't say that. Please."

"Fine, I won't. But she looked at me and ran at me and I couldn't do anything. I didn't know she was going to kiss me. I pulled away and she looked at me and downright stopped breathing. She had a panic attack." Lily still frowned at him, but he saw her face softening and those gorgeous green eyes began to smile again. "Lily darling, why would I ever kiss anyone else when I'm so crazy about you? It was a freak thing. And from now on I will go running away every time any girl but you comes running towards me. Scout's honor. I've learned my lesson."

Lily grunted but leaned into his open arms and allowed him to hug her and kiss the top of her head.

"It's all true," Peter piped in, a bit late.

"Of course it's bloody true."

* * *

Ginny awoke in the comfort of a white down comforter and mattress; she was warm almost to the point that she was sweating and she felt that her face was sticky and her hair a little wet, but she was comfortable.

She remembered what happened and was just able to believe it. Everyone was dead. Everyone she knew and loved was gone. Using her arms for support she attempted slowly to sit herself up on the pillows. She evaluated her wrapped limbs. Cuts and bruises she's gotten from the Battle had been healed. Some darker magic that had hit her and could not be healed was wrapped in white gauze. Ginny could tell that someone had tried to repair her without success while she was mentally absent. She saw her bag on the end table beside her and she had faith that everything Harry had put inside of it was still there. She was thirsty.

"Madam Pomfrey," she called across the room toward the medi-witch across the room, and the young woman turned from the student she was working on to look at Ginny with a puzzled face. Shock spread over Ginny's own face at the site of the witch she'd known. Madam Pomfrey was young. Twenty years younger than Ginny had ever known her at least. "May I have some water?"

A moment of confused hesitation passed and the witch replied yes dear, and fetched her a glass of water.

_You have to change this. I'm sending you back._

Ginny hadn't been counting how many times Harry had turned the Time Turner. But it was a damned lot. How far back had Harry sent her?

She thought of the boy she'd kissed in the corridor. James Potter. Brown eyes not green. Everyone said Harry had his mother's eyes. It must've been…she tried to count back as far as she could…1977. Harry had sent her back more than twenty years in time. But what was the purpose of that? Couldn't he have just sent her back a year or so? Then she would've been able to help the three of them. But Harry wouldn't send her back this much for nothing…Why was it so important that she come to this time. His parents were barely seventeen. She didn't even know if they were together yet…she knew they'd gotten together during their seventh year. Was it even their seventh year? Had she already ruined Harry's existence by kissing his dad? Teenage Sirius must've told the whole school by now.

"So what happened to you?" someone asked her, pulling her from her tormenting thoughts. The bed next to her was happily occupied by a boy in ripped green robes. A Slytherin. "Quidditch practice went a little raunchy this morning," said when he noticed her glance at his wound. "Took a dive into the Whomping Willow. Figure I was lucky to get out alive. You know there used to be a time when it wasn't there?"

Yes, she did know that. It was just before Remus Lupin had gone to Hogwarts. It was connected to the Shrieking Shack. It was where Lupin went every month during school to transform into a werewolf so that he wouldn't hurt his peers. His friends, Sirius, Peter Pettigrew, and Harry's father accompanied him on some nights, becoming Animagi in order to keep him company.

"So what did you say happened to you?"

"Oh, I had a panic attack," she answered simply, but his eyes travelled down the numerous gauze pads she had on her arms. He seemed not to believe but didn't say anything on the point. Instead he said, "Oh Slughorn's Felix essay? Terrible that one is, before he actually grades it."

"You mean Felix Felicis? Ginny recalled Harry giving his last drops of it to her and their friends the night Dumbledore died. Her body tensed again. She felt tears brim her eyes. They were all dead.

"Yea, it's the one – hey wait, don't cry over it. Don't get yourself worked up. I'm sorry it's not a big deal. Please, calm down. Relax. I'll do it for you."

"Mr. Black, what did you do? What did you say to her? She was already in a right state of things before you got here." T was Madam Pomfrey again. She attained a Calming Potion and gave to Ginny who drank in down.

"I didn't mean to, I was making small talk! It was an accident."

Before Ginny could ask if his name was Sirius, she was reminded of his Slytherin status by his green robes.

"Is your name Regulus Black?"

* * *

"Is that?"

"It can't be…"

"I believe it is, now pick up your jaws before they get mess of mashed on them," Remus said with a shake of his head. Not to denote that he was any less surprised either but characteristically was plenty more controlled in his emotions. It of course had to do with his 'furry little problem' as James so humorously coined.

"Moony, open your eyes! That's that Ginevra girl with my brother! She's literally sitting with him and laughing!"

"And he's not sitting with the rest of the Slytherins either isn't he?" Peter commented and James and Sirius gaped even more.

"That could be a good thing," Remus decided and James and Sirius turned white.

"Hardly!" shouted James, "I bet she's a Slytherin too! I bet she's just as bad as the lot of them."

"That's why he's so interested in Reg. Hey James you've got Slytherin juice on your tongue!" Sirius joked with a shove.

James lifted a glass of water and made a big show of cleaning out his mouth. Lily laughed and poked Sirius in the arm. Peter laughed too in a high pitched kind of chuckle that made everyone laugh even harder, even Remus.

It had been two weeks since the day Ginevra had appeared from nowhere and in that time they'd learned a great deal about her, even while she was locked up in the Hospital Wing. They'd found her name, Ginevra Weasley, lying in bed in the Hospital Wing on the Marauder's Map. It never went wrong of course. They'd also learned that she was sixteen, still not of age and that her whole family had been killed by You-Know-Who on the off skirts of Ashington, a wizarding town that had just been destroyed by Death Eaters. And that was pretty much it.

There was a lot of gossip about her but only revolving around those slight things, and hardly anyone but the Marauders and apparently Regulus Black knew her name. For now she was just the girl that popped into the seventh floor corridor.

What they didn't know seemed to be in multiple sums. They didn't know what the Headmaster wanted with her, or what was so heavily packed into that huge tight bag she always had with her. They would see her walking along the hallways talking to Professor Dumbledore like they were good friends, but always seemed to manage to look like they were discussing the death of a mutual friend.

She hadn't been in any classes yet, but they suspected, now that she was out of the Hospital Wing altogether, that she might start classes. They wondered what House she'd be put in of course but they had no idea of knowing if she'd be Sorted or not. All they could do was hope.

Now of course, plenty of things had changed. Why on earth was she hanging around Regulus Black?

"Why is she hanging around my brother? He's a stupid little git pureblood."

"I'm a pureblood too," James commented slyly.

"Well yea then, but you're not stupid or little!"

"So he's still a git?" Lily asked.

"Of course he bloody is!" Sirius said with a dog-like grin.

"I'm going to ask her," Remus declared and everyone just sort of stared at him with blank faces. "Why not? She doesn't seem mean or nasty or anything – "

"She's just making pals with an evil warlord's crony, that's all. No need to be alarmed," Sirius said sarcastically.

But Remus was a bit more faithful than his friends. For about another week he had to gather up the courage to talk to her. But it was difficult anyways: the only time he ever saw her was at mealtimes and usually Regulus was with her. Finally though, a window opened when he saw her sitting by herself in the library, her large backpack sitting in the seat beside hers, reading a book.

He spent a few minutes in the bookshelves behind her, pretending to be looking for a book. He grabbed one without looking at the cover and motioned himself slowly in her direction.

"May I sit here?" he asked, looking at the cushiony seat beside on her other side.

She turned red. "There isn't…a whole other chair you might…want to consider…?" she asked a little rebelliously as well as shyly.

"Not really," he said, "the place seems to be full." She looked around. They were the only two people in the library. He hoped it came off as charming instead of creepy.

"Sure then, Remus, I guess so."

"How do you know my name?" he asked casually sitting down and opening the book in his lap.

She turned ever brighter. "Oh, I, uh, just the gossip you know. Since you're friends with James you're name just got in the loop I suppose. It's memorable."

"So what was all that with James? Lily was furious for a bit there," he said, attempting to keep conversation going, yet still light.

"Was she? Damn. I didn't mean too, I didn't know…I thought he was someone else. I'd actually rather not talk about it." She shoved her nose back into the book

He pretended to read his own book for a while but he noticed her fidgeting, shaking her foot. She was restless, never comfortable enough in her seat to continue reading. She was more than just flustered.

"Are you ok?" he asked, truly concerned.

"Yes. No. No I'm not ok." She got up and started packing her things away. He stood too. "Please tell Lily and James I'm sorry for the confusion. Really, I meant no harm." She flinched.

"You can trust me Ginevra. I'm not going to hurt you."

"We're not friends. I can't trust you. I'm sorry."

"We can become friends," he offered. Ginevra slowed her pace down and looked up at him like a porcelain doll, with white soft skin, though freckled, and big glowing brown eyes.

She nodded but only so slightly that he could hardly tell. "I think…I think that'd be ok…"

Remus nodded now too. "Ok. Good."

"But I don't want to be friends with James or Sirius. Or Peter." She said the last name with a little grit to her voice. "It's much too embarrassing. Please."

"That's fine," he told her.

"Call me Ginny."

"Ok."

They were silent for a few moments. Without warning Ginny stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Remus' torso and so shocked he nearly forgot to hug her back.

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**Thanks again for reading! I don't want to bug you to review or anything, but it wouldn't make me sad or anything you know? Even if you were like, "ARGH! I don't like you!" that'd be cool. I mean whatever, my self esteem doesn't matter or anything. ;) Just kidding of course.**

**And is this length good? Too short, too long? Let me know. :D**


	3. Dumbledore

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, and cubye4 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**Yo no escribí de Harry Potter. Ní raibh mé ag scríobh Harry Potter. Je n'ai pas écrit Harry Potter. ****我没有写哈利波特。**

It really doesn't matter what language you put it in.

Chapter Three: Dumbledore

Ginny had found herself enthralled, though curious at her developing friendship with Regulus Black. She hadn't thought twice about it either, which surprised her.

But then it truly didn't. He didn't remind her of any of her loved ones from the past, and only fleetingly reminded her of Sirius when he was a bit more wistful than usual. But she supposed they hadn't been living together long enough that he'd lost some of the attributes he'd inherited from his older brother. Which was another reason why she had been so adamant about their friendship. She knew he had been bad news when he was younger. He was probably on the verge of signing up for Death Eater status right now. It scared her. She enjoyed his friendship, as new, slight and solitary as it was. And if she had to change anything, she figured that helping him see truth wouldn't be such a bad thing.

They talked for hours in the Hospital Wing and they somehow had a lot in common. Not really in person of course but in character. Both were strong, over-shadowed by siblings in curious ways, and interested in Quidditch and Charms, and Defense.

"Professor Flitwick taught me a Summoning Charm in my second year. We aren't supposed to learn that until fourth year but I asked him to and he was delighted to. I used to summon my friends quills out of their hands just to annoy them. It was great."

"I'm quite gifted at the Bat-Bogey Hex."

"Is that a warning?"

"Not yet," she replied simply and he howled with laughter, much to Madam Pomfrey's dislike.

And so even when Regulus had been dismissed from the Hospital Wing he stayed around to keep Ginny company until Madam Pomfrey literally pushed him out of the room herself. He came back every morning and evening for a week until Ginny was out of the hospital herself.

When she went to dinner and lunch and breakfast, she always found a way to lure him from the thicket of the Slytherins to sit by her at a small secluded table for kids who hadn't been Sorted, which included her. Occasionally, he would try to influence her to go sit with his friends: Avery, Mulicber, Snape…she always refused though and he was polite enough to drop the subject. She hadn't said anything to him about it but he knew from gossip that her family had been killed by Death Eaters, probably the parents of some of his friends.

That was the story Professor Dumbledore had leaked to the teachers and by happenstance to the entire school. "We will make it entirely secret so that in a moment, the whole school will be aware. A perfect little ploy to disguise the real secret," he'd said to her the second evening he'd visited her. "Whatever the real secret may be." She hadn't yet confided in him the truth to her background yet.

Professor Dumbledore had first come to see her the morning after she arrived in the Hospital Wing. "Well, young lady, you're looking better than I've heard. How do you feel?"

"Fine, Professor, thank you. When we've got the chance however, we need to speak in private."

"I thought you might say that. But let's wait until your wounds are healed and you are better. Is that alright?" His eyes showed through his half-moon spectacles. She knew she was twenty years prior to her time but he seemed to not be younger at all. He was of course still 130 years old, give or take a few decades or centuries. He was just how she remembered, except with a healthy left hand and darker more mischievous smile.

Thinking about his hand made her think of the ring he'd worn all through her fifth year. It was now on her finger.

There was so much going inside her head that she had no idea how to handle and was grateful for Dumbledore's insistence that they keep their much needed conversation for when she was well. She was also grateful that the only person to come visit her was Regulus. If James or Sirius or Remus, especially James had come to her she might not have been able to contain herself. There was no way she was getting over the loss of her entire family, her whole life, in one week. And she always looked over Peter Pettigrew. She thought everyone overlooked Peter Pettigrew. But she would hex him if he ever went near her. And on top of everything was the bigger picture. Harry had put the weight of the future of the wizarding world on her shoulders and she had no idea what on earth she was supposed to do.

This presented to her the time for Ginny to explore the contents of the bag Harry had prepared for her.

The first thing she took out was the thing that was last put in: Harry's wand. At seeing this she was afraid she might not be able to continue. Harry was really gone and he'd left his wand behind for her. He'd given her his most valuable possession, another of the many things that connected him to Voldemort. But she put it aside and forced herself to continue.

Next was a folded piece of old parchment and Ginny couldn't help but smile. She could hear her twin brothers simultaneously saying "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." She remembered pleasantly all the mischief they used to get up to. She missed them. Putting that aside with the wand she reached her hand in and came immediately about the soft watery fabric she knew so well. Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Once, she and Harry had snuck out of Gryffindor Tower to go to the kitchens and just talk without having anything or anyone in their way, except for Dobby, who insisted on aiding all of their dates into the kitchens as best he could. She pulled it gently from the bag and when it had come free of the restriction of the back a glass vial rolled from within it. Inside the glass vial was a silvery type of glow, but she couldn't discern what it was. She would have to ask Professor Dumbledore.

The pouch that Hagrid had given Harry for his seventeenth birthday was there as well and she wrapped it around her neck. The last three things she found were books: a new edition (new in their time) of a History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot; a ripped and scribbled in potions textbook that said it was owned by the Half- Blood Prince with an arrow pointing toward it that said "Severus Snape" in Harry's curvy handwriting; and the book by Rita Skeeter – The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

She shoved the books back in the bag in order to hide them. No one in this time needed to know anything that was in those books.

A day after this, she deemed herself ready to see Dumbledore. She'd walked from her guest room on the fourth floor of the castle to his office. Other students gazed at her as she passed, knowing nothing about her but knowing she was different, and deciding to stare at her anyways.

She reached the gargoyle that perched in front of his office. "Password?" it asked.

"If you don't let me in, Voldemort will take over the Ministry, kill everyone who matters, and take over the entire Wizarding World. Let me in please."

"Like I haven't heard that one before," the gargoyle replied. "But I haven't heard the Dark Lord's name actually said. You seem a bit more serious than the others."

"I believe her to be more serious than the others," a soft voice said behind her. She turned to see the silver haired wizard towering in blue robes. "Lopping Wonders."

The gargoyle jumped aside and the two of them made it up the stairs.

"How are you feeling?" the Headmaster asked once they were sitting comfortably. Each had a cup of tea warming their hands.

"Much better thank you. My name is Ginevra Weasley. Ginny."

"You said you needed to speak with me privately?"

"Yes sir." She hesitated. "Sir, I'm from the future. The war has been lost. Voldemort won. My entire family has died; everyone I once knew perished in the war." Her attempt to remain calm was for not; she simply began crying as she spoke. "I was the only one left." She pulled the Time Turner from out of her robes. She felt around the edges, knowing the last time she'd seen him, Harry had had his own fingers around it.

"How far did that take you?" Professor Dumbledore asked pointing curiously at the Time Turner.

"About twenty years I think."

"How do you know James Potter?"

"You heard about that, did you?" Ginny asked turning bright red, even while tears streamed her cheeks. "I was out of my right mind, if that's any sort of explanation. I was under the impression he was someone else."

"I understand. Who are your parents?"

"Arthur and Molly Weasley," she answered proudly.

Dumbledore smiled. "I believe your mother is pregnant with you at this very moment."

Ginny looked surprised. "What year is it anyways?"

"1977."

She took a moment of retrospection. "No, not with me, with Fred and George. My twin older brothers. Then she'll have Ron and then she'll finally have me. I was born in 1981."

Dumbledore gleamed pleasantly. "Well, Molly is sure to have a house-full. The Burrow certainly will grow over the years. So you are sent here to somehow aide us in defeating Lord Voldemort?"

Ginny nodded. "I suppose that's my purpose. But I have no idea what…anything." She was thinking how much she hated that Harry had forced her to stay behind while he, Hermione, and Ron went to go do whatever it is they did.

"Any leads? Were you left with anything that might lead you to understand what you should do?"

She shook her head. Then she nodded. "Yes. I think. Maybe. Do you know what this is?" From her pocket, she pulled out the vial that had been wrapped in the Invisibility Cloak.

Dumbledore stared shocked at her hand.

"It's a vial of memories!" shouted a portrait Ginny recognized as Phineus Nigellus. For the first time, Ginny looked around the headmaster's office. Just as the Headmaster himself hadn't, his office hadn't changed one bit. The wall behind was still covered in portraits of past Headmasters and she stared primarily in the empty space where in twenty years, Dumbledore's own portrait would hang. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix was young, perched on his small steeple and nibbling on some food.

"A vial of memories? What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Put them in the Pensieve and find out," another headmaster suggested.

"Miss Weasley, when one finds that his mind is too small for the many hundreds of thoughts and memories in their head they may, by use of their wands, remove their memories and view it again, from outside their own mindset and view it in what's called a Pensieve." Dumbledore opened a cabinet on the far side of his office to reveal a stone bowl-like artifact with runes all around it.

"But why would Harry give me his memories?"

"It is also used for when one needs to show their memories to others. Others can view your memories as well. If I assume correctly, and it has been a long time since I've assumed wrong, whoever gave that to you wants you to see what he saw."

"Ok." Harry's memories. She had Harry's memories in the palm of her hand. Everything he had been through his whole life and she would know. She would know everything he would never tell her, everything she didn't know. Every time he'd told her he couldn't tell her, she'd know. And all she had to do was jump in.

"Another time," Dumbledore assured her.

"No. Now. I want to see Harry's memories now."

**This is an **_**eh **_**chapter. I'm not overtly proud of it but it was bland stuff that needed to be said. Forgive me.**

**Also, college stuff is going on, so updates this weekend may be short. I'll try my best!**

**Don't review. I don't care if you review. i don't want you to review.**

**^Satire. 3**


	4. Blood From the Forearm

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, ****CookieBandit**, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, and Thydude for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D

Most essential for this chapter: I do not own Harry Potter or anything that coincides with the franchise or the books. I am just a doting fan. Most of this chapter is hardly mine at all. But I love it. :D

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Chapter Four: Blood From the Forearm

Dumbledore had poured the memories into the Pensieve and he backed away, leaving his office.

"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked, still gazing at the glowing stone bowl as if in a trance. Harry's memories...

"No. You will relate to me what you see if you desire afterwards. However, I will not intrude on a personal moment, which I suspect it may be. Put the hat on when you're done. It will confide in me the house you're to be put in. Goodnight Miss Weasley." He left quietly.

_Ginny fell face down on wet slippery stone tile, right beside her own face. She was pale, lying on her back, head tilted to the side with her white cheek pressed to the cold ground. She was hardly breathing at all. She was eleven. And Tom Riddle was sucking the life from her._

_Quickly, the older Ginny stood, looking away from her nearly dead body and looked for Harry. She knew he was there. He'd saved her from Tom Riddle. They were in the Chamber of Secrets._

"_...I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply _loved _me... 'No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like a friend I can carry around in my pocket...' If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed," Tom Riddle said, leering at the twelve year old Harry Potter, who was kneeling on the floor and bleeding from his arm. He yanked the basilisk fang from it and cried out in pain._

_Tom Riddle laughed but then Harry leaned over the diary, that bloody diary, and stabbed it hard over and over with the basilisk fang until Tom Riddle screamed and bits of him blasted apart. He disintegrated. _

_Eleven year old Ginny woke up, searching tiredly for anyone who might help her. She spotted Harry with relief, but her heart fell when she saw Harry's breathing slow and a terrible wound on his arm. The scene dissolved as Harry instructed her to get out, find help.  
_

_Ginny was in a graveyard sitting beside the dead body of Cedric Diggory. She watched in horror as Peter Pettigrew cut open Harry's arm saying, "Blood of the enemy, taken by force…" Harry yelled out in pain…  
_

_Ginny was now in Dumbledore's office again, except now the great wizard was perched where he had been fifteen minutes ago and Harry sat in the seat she had just occupied. _

"_A mere memory starting to act and think for itself?" Dumbledore was saying. "A mere memory, sapping the life out of a girl into whose hands it had fallen? No, something much more sinister had lived inside that book….a fragment of soul, I was sure of it. The diary had been a Horcrux… But this raised as many questions as it answered." Ginny listened to their conversation carefully, wishing in some reminiscence of Hermione that she could take notes._

"_He was being remarkably blasé about that precious fragment of his soul concealed within it. The point of a Horcrux is, as Professor Slughorn explained, to keep part of the self hidden and safe, not to fling it into somebody else's path and run the risk that they might destroy it – as indeed happened: That particular fragment of soul is no more; you saw to that."_

_Ginny could throw up. She knew where Dumbledore was heading, before even Harry had understood. Ginny knew the theory behind a Horcrux. Harry had once, in conversation, explained what a Horcrux was and while giving no significance of whether or not it had any importance in pertaining to his connections with Voldemort, Ginny knew it was the darkest thing possible, and of course Tom Riddle had dabbled in it. But she never thought to this extent. _

"…_he was referring to his horcruxes, horcruxes in the plural Harry, which I do not believe any other wizard has ever had."_

_They continued conversing on the subject of Voldemort's desire for immortality, why he would never use a Sorcerer's Stone._

"_Yes, I think the idea of a seven-part soul would greatly appeal to Lord Voldemort."_

"_He made seven horcruxes?" said Harry, with horror. Ginny, too was shocked and slapped a hand to her mouth with the affirmation of her thoughts. "But they could be anywhere in the world – hidden – buried or invisible – "_

_At this moment, Dumbledore's words were blurred as though the memory were speeding up like one of her dad's Muggle videos, until finally she could distinguish the Professor's words again._

"_You have already destroyed one of them. And I have destroyed another."_

"_You have?"_

"_Yes indeed." Dumbledore raised his blackened hand to reveal the ring on his finger, the same one Ginny was wearing and instantly her hand clutched it, worrisome. "The ring, Harry...The ring is no longer a Horcrux."_

_Again, the scene shifted but it didn't take her very far. In fact, it only took her about twenty minutes further into Dumbledore and Harry's conversation. Ginny supposed it skipped anything less than useful._

"_It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort even without his Horcruxes."_

"_But I haven't got uncommon skill and power." Ginny disagreed, as did, apparently Dumbledore, who shook his head._

"_Yes, you have. You have a power that Voldemort has never had. You can – "_

"_I know! I can love!" Ginny was surprised at how upset he was over this fact. It was a fact that Ginny herself was very grateful for. She'd always enjoyed that aspect of him, ability to love unconditionally._

"_Yes, Harry, you can love…"_

"_So, when the prophecy says that I'll have 'power the Dark Lord knows not,' it just means – love?"_

"_Yes – just love. But Harry never forget that what the prophecy says is only significant because Voldemort made it so. I told you this at the end of last year. Voldemort singled you out as the person who would be most dangerous to him – and in doing so, he _made_ you the person who would be the most dangerous to him!"_

"_But it comes to the same – "_

"_No, it doesn't!" Ginny had never seen Dumbledore become impatient with anybody. She almost felt the desire to stand in front of Harry to protect him. "You are setting too much store by the prophecy!"_

_Ginny understood. The prophecy meant nothing. The only reason Harry had to live by it was because Voldemort was too naïve to understand that concept. _

"_If Voldemort had never murdered your father, would he have imparted in you a furious desire for revenge? Of course not!" Dumbledore answered himself passionately. "If he had not forced your mother to die for you, would he have given you a magical protection he could not penetrate? Of course not, Harry! Despite your privileged insight into the Voldemort's world (which, incidentally, is a gift any Death Eater would kill to have), you have never been seduced by the Dark Arts, never, even for a second, shown the slightest desire to become one of Voldemort's followers!"_

"_Of course I haven't! He killed my mum and dad!"_

"_You are protected, in short, by your ability to love!"  
_

_Dumbledore's words faded, as did Ginny's settings. She found herself in a cave in front of a sea and she inhaled air full of salt and moisture. Dumbledore and Harry were both sopping wet – they'd swam from a cliff that Ginny could see off in the distance. _

_Ginny watched with Harry as Dumbledore explored the cave and listened as he declared it only as an entrance hall. He magically dried Harry's clothes, to Ginny's amusement, and again resumed searching the walls for something she and Harry did not know. Her stomach dropped when she saw Dumbledore cut his own flesh to deliver his blood on a rock in payment to open the door. A silver outline of an arch, nearly lighting the rest of the cave illuminated and the rock inside simply disappeared. Ginny followed them inside, into complete darkness. _

_They stood at the edge of a glass-surfaced black lake. It was enormous and Ginny couldn't fathom how such a thing could be beneath a mountain that needed some form of support. Her fear of Voldemort intensified. _

"_Be careful not to step into the water," Dumbledore instructed, and Ginny, as well as Harry, obeyed. _

_They walked for a few minutes longer until Harry attempted to summon the Horcrux. Something splashed, made a loud bang, and Ginny's heart beat faster. What was happening?_

_They discussed the whereabouts of the Horcrux within the lake, Dumbledore affirming his belief that it was at the center of the lake. It wasn't very long after that they found a boat and soon the two of them, the three of them actually, were in it and glazing over the glass, which hardly rippled at all. _

"_I think I saw a hand in the water – a human hand!"_

"_Yes, I am sure you did. I am sure that once we take the Horcrux, we shall find them less peaceable. However, like many creatures that dwell in cold and darkness, they fear light and warmth, which we shall therefore call to our aid should the need arise. Fire, Harry." _

_Ginny watched as things happened quickly. Dumbledore began drinking a potion, crying out in agony and Ginny too behind to feel tears well up in her own eyes. He forced Harry to feed it to him and her heart swelled with pain. She wanted to shield her eyes but there was no use in it. She had to watch it anyways; Harry had brought her hear of a reason. Finally, Harry grabbed the Horcrux inside, a locket Ginny discerned, and Dumbledore asked for water. She watched as Harry helplessly attempted to conjure it. _

"_No Harry! Harry stop!" she screamed as he reached down to the lake to get water. "Stop it! Dumbledore said no!" But it was for nothing. _

_A dead hand reached out and grabbed Harry and Ginny screamed, running forward toward him but stepping back in terror when her hand went through him, unable to save him. _

"_Fire!" she shouted at him, he was in the lake now, "use fire!"_

_But Harry did nothing. _

_A few moments passed before Dumbledore stood and crimson fire exploded from the tip of his wand.  
_

_Instantly, the scene evaporated and remorphed into another, at the very top of the Astronomy Tower. Ginny couldn't see Harry, but she knew he was there and suspected he was using his invisibility cloak. _

"_Avada Kedavra," Severus Snape said.  
_

_She was next placed in a snowy forest. Hermione and Harry, beautiful and perfect, almost unreal were kissing passionately and Ginny's tears increased with the pain of it._

"_Ah!" Ron was running at something with the sword of Gryffindor and the two vanished, leaving a sopping wet Harry and a broken locket.  
_

_As fast as it had come the next memory erupted and Harry, Ron, Bellatrix Lestrange with Hermione's voice and a goblin were inside a vault at Gringotts, up to their ears in burning gold. Harry had hold of golden cup that was burning his hand and erupting into hundreds more burning cups._

"_I let Hermione destroy it," Ron was saying later, at Hogwarts, holding the broken remains of the cup._

_Ginny realized she was watching the destruction of all the horcruxes Harry had managed to find. _

_Fiendfyre ravished a group of students, Harry rushing out, saving Draco Malfoy's life and holding a broken diadem.  
_

_Harry sat back in the Headmaster's office. All of the portraits were empty. He was leaning over the Pensieve and when he flew in so did she._

_Ginny immediately took in her surroundings. It was odd. She was seeing someone's memories for the first time but she was seeing someone's memories now through someone else's memories. _

_And these memories got everything Harry wanted across well enough. It was simple; shocking but simple._

_Snape loved Lily._

_Dumbledore confided in Snape as a double agent._

_Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him._

_Snape was good._

_Harry had to kill himself.  
_

_Walking toward the Forbidden Forest, away from the quiet castle; Harry told Neville to kill the snake. Voldemort's snake was a Horcrux too, Ginny deduced. He put his cloak back on as she followed him to the forest. She was shockingly alone now._

_Harry was walking deeper; Ginny could tell because the trees were getting denser. She walked along side him staring curiously at his face. There were screams behind them, sounds of hexes and curses being yelled at enemies. It was the Battle of Hogwarts. But where was Harry going? He was supposed to be looking for something wasn't he?_

_It seemed like so long ago but it was only a week into Ginny's past. It technically hadn't even happened yet. Selfishly, she thought of herself. Right now, Ginny was in the castle, Hermione had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, and her whole family was crying over the dead body of Fred, wishing, just wishing they could kill every Death Eater that ever lived. Ginny knew she wasn't even thinking of Harry. _

_Luminescent figures of James Potter, Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black appeared and Ginny noted how young they were now. The contrast of fifteen years between Lily and James and Sirius and Remus was shocking as well. They were talking to him, encouraging him._

_They continued to walk and soon encountered two Death Eaters, who Harry immediately decided to follow. The ghosts disappeared. Was he trying to ambush them? He knew that would never work._

_And it dawned on her in that moment that Harry was walking to his death. In order to save everyone else, he was content to allow himself to die. That's why his parents and Remus and Sirius were there. They were supporting him. Telling him that it was ok. They were giving him the strength to put one foot in front of the other. _

_Harry revealed himself to the group of Death Eaters surrounding Voldemort._

_Ginny shielded her eyes._

"_Avada Kedavra."_


	5. A History of Magic

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, and hetero-bi, emcee31 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**Harry's not mine. Ginny's not mine. In fact, none of the characters, the spells, or the world itself is mine. The plot here is. But that's it.**

**By the way, I turn eighteen in two days and I'm super excited. I can vote. I can go to federal prison. I can get kicked out my house by my parents. Yay! There's really nothing fantastic about it, but I thought you all should know, since of course, you guys have the potential to make my birthday super exciting! By what, you ask? Reviewing! Thoroughly! Yay!**

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Chapter Five: A History of Magic

Ginny sat alone, awkwardly at the table. She'd never felt so alone in her life.

It was a while, sitting on the floor of Dumbledore's office, before Ginny had recovered from hearing Harry die. She had covered her eyes but it had done no good at all: she heard the thump of his body hitting the ground and that was enough to send her eyes reeling with water. It was a long time before she instilled in herself the strength to stand, wipe her eyes, stop her shuddering and place the damned Sorting Hat on her bright red hair.

"Nice to see you again," Ginny said half-heartedly.

"A Weasley is it? But you're different you are. I see brilliance in you. Extreme knowledge…knowledge about what others know not…gifted, very gifted…brave too…loyal…but quite clever. You outwardly appear humble but in truth you enjoy being right, being great…You're troubled."

"I'm aware."

"And cranky."

"Would you get this over with already? I'd like to go to bed sometime in the next decade." Ginny knew she wouldn't sleep this evening.

"You'd like to but you won't," the Sorting had said from her head in it's gravelly voice. "But I will move along, as you wish. I believe you'd be best suited for Ravenclaw."

And now she sat miserably at the table, thinking of nothing but Horcruxes and the thump repeating in her head, again, again…thump.

The Sorting Hat, for the second time, had recommended her for Ravenclaw. It had done so her first year and it came as no surprise that it should happen again. However, she could not imagine herself now, nor even at age eleven, in any other house. So she directed the Sorting Hat to place her in Gryffindor and it agreed and there it was.

She was next directed, by a house-elf standing outside Dumbledore's office, to follow him to whatever house she'd been put in. Her things had already been moved to where she would stay.

Surprisingly, it was only eight in the evening and students were still returning to their Common Rooms from dinner in the Great Hall. It felt like it had been decades since she'd gone up to Dumbledore's office. She felt exhausted.

Once Ginny was properly situated in her dorm in Gryffindor Tower, she enjoyed some study time in the Common Room, during which many students whispered about her loudly. No one approached her, not even Remus.

But for the first time in a while, she felt like she was at home. She even slept in the same room, the same bed she'll sleep in, in less than twenty years from now. She was to begin classes tomorrow using second hand supplies provided by the school. She was accustomed to it all.

With good always came bad though. She was roommates with Lily Evans. And before bed, in her obvious attempt to keep a distance from the green eyed witch, the rest of her roommates kept a distance from her as well. She had to accept the fact that she didn't have any brothers or old mentoring members of the Order of the Phoenix to talk to.

This is what she was having trouble with this bright sunny morning at breakfast.

Ginny could feel Dumbledore's eyes bearing holes into the side of her head from the teacher's table. Regulus' eyes too, from the Slytherin table.

"Hey Ginny" Remus greeted, sitting down beside her and offering her a biscuit, at which she nibbled on until finding her appetite quite upset with her and putting back on the plate. Regulus glared and turned away. Damn. It would be much more difficult to try to make him see good.

"Are they looking over here?" Ginny asked.

"Of course they are but they aren't the only ones." Remus turned his head and waved at his friends down the table who smiled and continued their conversation.

"I don't really care about anyone else."

"You look like you had a hard night. You ok?"

She thought for a long moment and Remus waited patiently. "Yes," she answered honestly. "You know what it's like when you're told a parent has died?" she asked. "Can you empathize?"

Remus nodded.

"Well imagine that and multiply it by about a hundred million."

"And you're ok?" Remus asked incredulously.

"I just know that there's something I can do about it," Ginny replied, and Remus frowned but didn't comment.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he said instead. "Get your mind off things."

"We have class," Ginny protested.

"I may not be up to James and Sirius' status but I'm pretty good troublemaker myself."

This made Ginny laugh, for she could not imagine the Remus Lupin she knew getting up to any mischief. "I would never doubt your sin. But I'm actually looking forward to class. We have Double Defense."

"Are you going to be able to keep up in class? Not to say that you're not smart enough to but only out of curiosity because you've missed part of the year."

Ginny was curious of this herself. Dumbledore had confidently enrolled her in seventh year, despite her not yet having finished her sixth. Without records of OWLs he had no basis on which to aid him in placing her so he asked her to demonstrate a few things: a few charms, a few hexes, transfigured a wardrobe into a jewelry box, and performed her Patronus, which at first didn't work at all. She thought of seeing her parents again and the horse went flying out, impressing Professor Dumbledore as well as Ginny herself.

"Can you Apparate?"

"I'm not yet seventeen," she answered, "so I don't yet have a license. But I can."

"I don't think you'll need a license. I'm not altogether sure, but if I am correct, which I oftentimes am, I don't believe you have a trace, and I don't believe it will be easy claiming your existence to get you a license."

Ginny said she understood, but it was hard to realize that you didn't exist.

"I think I'll be ok," Ginny answered Remus, confident in how much she'd learned from Harry.

"What classes were you put in?"

"Defense, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Herbology, and Muggle Studies." She'd asked for the last one because her father had begged her to take it for years.

"What about History of Magic?" Remus asked.

"I can dictate the entirety of that book off the top of my head," she explained thinking of how she could do that and twenty years more than anyone else could, including Bathilda Bagshot herself. Hermione had seen to Ginny's prowess in history during her OWLs, quizzing her randomly throughout the day, including weekends, for weeks on end.

"Lucky. Professor Binns –"

"- is easily the most boring teacher to ever have lived. Or died, I suppose…" She saw Remus' questioning face and added, "So I've heard." She filled her mouth with potatoes.

After lunch they walked together to class with slight conversation but each of them were in their own minds really.

Remus looked terrible. His dirty blonde hair, if possible, looked even shaggier than it had when he was aged. It was long and in need of a cut. His face was scratched but less so, and he looked skinnier somehow, as though he wasn't eating three full meals a day. He had a strong face, high cheek bones, squared jaw line, but the severity of it was juxtaposed by the shallowness beneath his eyes. He was tired. His condition was wearing on him. She wanted to hug him but she felt as though it would be even odder than it had been the last time, so she kept her distance.

In Defense things got a little bit mixed up. Professor Williams, a dumpy but enthusiastic old wizard, instructed the group of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs to pair up to work on practicing the Bat-Bogey Hex and pairs that they normally in Ginny's absence had formed. James and Sirius, Remus and Peter. Ginny felt no need to practice, of course and decided to remain in her seat. She was a little disappointed that he first Defense class was over something she knew so well. But this left Lily alone.

Lily began approaching Ginny. "No, Lily, come with us," James insisted.

"You've always grouped with us because the odd number," Sirius agreed.

"But there isn't an odd number anymore," Remus reasoned, a little angrily.

"Then you pair up with her," James suggested.

"Honestly, James, there's no need for rudeness. I can handle myself just fine without your protection," Lily told him and she approached Ginny, who shrunk backwards. "I can't hex you if you're all the way over there now can I?" Lily said lightly and Ginny smiled a bit. She was uncomfortable. She stood.

Lily only took a few attempts at Ginny before bats were flying out her nose and all over her face and Professor Williams cleaned her up with a switch of his wand.

"Well done Miss Evans, five points to Gryffindor."

"You're up Ginny," Lily said.

"I'd rather not," she murmured. She had no desire to hex her boyfriend's mother.

"Really, it's ok. Professor Williams is here to set me right, just like you." Lily's green eyes gleamed.

Ginny, nodded.

Her spell hit Peter Pettigrew.

"Well done Miss Weasley, well done!" called Professor Williams. "Ten points to Gryffindor! Your spellcasting is magnificent dear, but you aim, yes we need to work on your aim."

Ginny was thinking actually how impeccable her aim was.

"Hey, nicely done, Ginny," Remus complimented, "was that your first try?"

"No."

After Defense was Herbology with the Ravenclaws and then Potions with the Slytherins (still after all this time! Ginny thought), in which Professor Slughorn invited her to dinner the evening following. She politely declined, saying that she had much to get adjusted to but Slughorn, like he'd done before, insisted upon it, saying that Lily had a wonderful time at all his parties and Lily nodded obediently.

"Tell me about your life before Hogwarts," Remus asked one night when they were working on some Astronomy in front of the fireplace.

"I was raised in a big family. I had six older brothers. We weren't very wealthy but at least we were on the right side. My oldest brothers and my parents were in the Order of the Phoenix. They knew very much about Voldemort and he saw us as a threat. So he killed us all. All but me."

"It is scary? Knowing that you are the only one left in your family? That you survived?"

"Yes. But I guess it's not surprising. For the majority of the battle I was kept in the Room of Requirement because I'm underage. So I wasn't fighting. And then…" Ginny trailed off.

"It's ok, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Here I'll talk about me. When I was s little kid, my mother and I went on long bike rides down our road. She's a muggle-born, so that was a normal thing for her. Whenever we were at my grandparents house…"

Ginny and Remus talked for hours.

* * *

A week or so had passed since and Ginny was gradually getting used to her surroundings and her classes. When Remus wasn't with his friends, he often spent time with her in the Common Room and in the library. She was doing some research on Horcruxes but found herself in dire need of a pass into the restricted section of the library.

It was occasional now that she spent time with Regulus. When she wasn't with Remus she was with him.

"So why Remus Lupin?" Regulus asked. He and Ginny were sitting in a secluded area of the library together after dinner, not really reading, but just talking.

"Because he asked if we could be friends and I agreed," Ginny replied simply.

"Are you going to stop talking to me because I'm in Slytherin and you're in Gryffindor?" he tucked his long dark hair behind a pale ear.

"There's only one thing that would make me stop talking to you. And I should say, the true question is are _you_ going to stop talking to _me _because I'm a Gryffindor and you're a Slytherin?"

"Well I don't care. I'm still talking to you now aren't I?"

"You aren't talking to your brother."

"My brother doesn't talk to me. So why the library?" Regulus moved on quickly.

"Because I can't sit with you at mealtimes or in the Common Room, and anywhere else is just odd at this hour. We can't go outside, the Entrance Hall is boring, and the hallways just cause rumors, worse ones than the library at least. The school isn't very conducive to interhouse friendships."

"It never has been."

"Well, maybe it should be."

"Yea, maybe." He shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"So how do you like your friends?"

"I'd wanted you to meet them but I don't think it's such a good idea anymore. They don't life Gryffindors."

"I'll bet they don't much fancy blood-traitors either," Ginny spat nastily before she could stop herself.

"You consider yourself a blood-traitor?" he asked uncertainly. He was afraid of offending her but too curious not to ask at all.

"Proudly," she told him and thought of her parents.

Regulus hesitated. "But why?"

"My best friend was a muggleborn and was easily the brightest witch I'd ever met. Could outperform every student in this school with her eyes closed. There's no reason to kill brilliant people because of their parentage. I will fight to my death to protect those people because I wouldn't want the same done to me if I were in their shoes. Tell me Regulus," she looked around the room, "I believe I heard Samantha Logoria was a muggleborn." She pointed to a pretty blonde witch studying quietly. "She's rather quiet, has only a couple of friends. She has exemplary grades, get Ravenclaw five to ten points a day in Defense alone. She contributes to the bigger bigger picture of the wizarding world. Why should she, a good, studious, intelligent person be taken away because her parents are merely different from yours and mine?"

Ginny waited for him to answer. He thought the question was rhetorical and so he awkwardly replied, "Oh, uh…well no I guess not."

"That's the difference between you and me, and your friends. They don't see it that way. Voldemort has brainwashed them."

"Excuse me? Is your name Ginny Weasley?" a young Hufflepuff boy, maybe a second year, asked. Ginny nodded. "Professor Dumbledore gave me this to give to you." He handed her a small envelope with her name scrawled in Dumbledore's slanted calligraphy. This must be how Harry always felt, she thought of the nervous pit in her stomach.

"Thank you," she said and the boy nodded and walked away.

"You're on messenger terms with the Headmaster?" Regulus asked.

"I suppose – "

"I'm sorry," interrupted the boy, who had turned back around bravely yet with quivering lips. "I'm sorry about your family. I…me and the other second years wish it had never happened. But I hope you like it here at Hogwarts. I hope you like it here as much as I do."

Without waiting for Ginny to reply, the boy ran off.

In her hands, Ginny held a personally written all-access-pass to anywhere in the school, except the Forbidden Forest. And that included the Restricted Section of the library. Once Regulus left, that's where she would explore.

* * *

"Did you ask her yet?" Sirius asked putting his nose up close to Remus' face.

"Did you?" mimicked James leaning over the table to do the same.

"Ask her what?" said Remus, annoyed.

"About Regulus git, what else?" James exclaimed with a snort.

"Is she snogging him?" They both turned their faces obviously in Ginny's direction. She was reading a book, and a pile of books were stacked on the side table next to her. In fact, she had two books on her lap and she was looking back and forth between them. She glanced up to see all four boys staring in her direction. Closing her books and leaving them on the side table she went up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Well done, boys," said Lily coldly.

"It's not like she talks to you either, Lily-flower," Sirius said. "She's your dorm-mate and she treats you as if you don't exist."

"That doesn't mean it has anything to do with me personally. She doesn't talk to anyone but Remus and your brother and that's the only reason you take her silence so personally. But you know about the attack on Samantha Logoria?" Sirius nodded. "Regulus wasn't a part of it. You know that gash he has above his right brow? The new one? Bellatrix gave it to him for refusing to curse her. I expect that has a lot to do with her influence. You should be grateful. But instead you're spiteful and jealous."

"Why do you care so much anyways?" Sirius asked.

"Because if it were my family, Petunia would be Regulus, Snape would be James, and I would be you Sirius, except I would love to have a Ginny to help bring Petunia to light, even if she were to still never speak to me again."

"Why is Snape me?" James asked, offended. "And whya re you being so harsh?"

"James please. I know what it's like to have a sibling hate me. You encourage Sirius, not intentionally albeit but you still do. If you encouraged him to talk to his brother maybe Regulus would've been on our side a long time ago."

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus sat in awed silence as Lily turned on her heel and followed Ginny up to their dormitory.

"You know she cries at night," Lily said, turning at the entrance of the stairs. "For hours."

Sirius and James were simply ashamed of themselves and Remus was glad. Lily was a smart witch with a lot of knowledge but a warm heart as well. You didn't see the combination very often and Remus wanted to hug her.

Peter stood and walked over to the table with all of Ginny's books on them.

"Why is she reading this book?" he asked in his small voice.

Remus took the book for himself and stared at the title. _The Darkest Art_, it was entitled. He opened the first page to see the words and spotted _Horcrux_ underlined.

"A History of Magic? Who actually reads that book?" James said, picking up the next book, underneath her stack.

"Ginny…" _Ginny isn't taking a History of Magic…_

* * *

**Cue the suspenseful music! ***


	6. Knowledge

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, and** **bookworm71717 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**I don't own Harry Potter, as incredibly awesome as that might be.**

By the way, I am officially 18 years of age as of December 15th, 2010 at 9:15pm. It's not exceptionally exciting. I just get to say I'm an "adult" even though I still live at home and go to school and financially dependent on my parents. Anyways, my art history teacher (the coolest being ever) brought me to a casino for my 18. She rocks. Ok, done being excited. Read on!

* * *

Chapter Six: Knowledge

Ginny went to class with everyone else. She stayed as far away from James, Lily, and Peter as possible, almost by nature now. She turned away from them to stop herself from instantly crying or cursing them. And likewise, they each felt the sting and soon enough were out of her way as well. Lily seemed put out to console her for a while but Ginny made sure to keep a distance between herself and the witch and so she too decided to leave Ginny alone.

Sirius on the other hand ignored Ginny on principle. She guessed she understood. But she had no issue with him and felt no problem staring at him from across the table without realizing it, to try and remember how much he'd changed over the years…what Azkaban really did to him. His skin was unscarred. His hair was curly, but smooth. His face was not sunken. His confidence was at an overwhelming high. Twelve years in Azkaban. He's going to be in Azkaban for twelve years.

I won't let that happen.

"Ginny…Gin. Earth to red head…"

"What? Oh sorry."

She and Remus were eating dinner together at the opposite end of the Gryffindor table. He'd been gone for a few days.

"You know we can always go over there and eat together," he suggested.

"Oh, I wasn't looking at them, I was looking at the Headmaster," she lied. And now that she did, he looked rather frustrated. "Doesn't he look as though something is bothering him?"

Remus didn't seem convinced but turned his head to look at Dumbledore as well. "Yes. In fact, all the teachers look like they're in a sour mood." Indeed, every teacher at the High Table seemed to be pouting. Professor McGonagall was frowning so deeply Ginny thought the corners of her mouth might dive into her soup. Horace Slughorn, much younger, seemed incapable of actually eating but moved his food around his plate with his fork. A few of the other teachers were literally stabbing their food like they were being served Death Eaters.

This was portrayed in class as well. In Astronomy that evening, Professor Sinistra took more than fifty points from each house, and only two houses were in her class at the time. The next morning, Professor Burbage, normally the nicest teacher in the castle, threw a quill at Frank Longbottom for talking in class. Professor McGonagall kicked Ginny and Lily out of class. They had each successfully transfigured their cobwebs into chandeliers and were waiting for the rest of the class to find success as well. It was so irrational that even other students were becoming irritable. For a few days, looking at someone might've gotten a fight started. Two Ravenclaws started sending spells at each other over lunch.

That week was the full moon and Remus was out of class for a few days. The first night, Ginny had pulled her Invisibility Cloak out and remained in the Common Room until she saw Sirius, James and Peter sneak out the portrait hole and out into the night. Hey had James' Cloak on as well but because they were three and tall, they're feet could be seen scuffing against the carpet. In class, Ginny took extra notes for him, but it was disenchanting always being so alone in class. He was back in class by Thursday looking shabbier than ever and only being slightly aware of the chaos of the teachers and students.

On Friday, the first week in November, an assembly was called that morning for all seventh years.

Students sat at their tables closest to the High Table where Professor Dumbledore and all the Heads of Houses stood along with a tall muscular wizard with pale skin and pale hair and a dark cloak. His brows were knitted together and his eyes were deep set, reminding Ginny of the older Snape with a layer of snow over him. Then man had a large scroll in his hands and waited patiently for the students to quiet down.

"Good morning students," he said, with his nose higher than it ought to be. "My name is Wilbert Gayle. In the next few days you will come to know me as Professor Gayle. I am a wizard in the Ministry in the Department of Student Safety."

Ginny wondered if this was a real Department and by the look on Minerva McGonagall's face it was a Ministry fabrication. She looked livid.

"I am here to speak to you all," he continued, "about some of the dangers you will be facing as adults in this world, as we are you surely know, in war." He very loudly cleared his throat, patted his chest and continued.

"To begin with, I will say each of you are all innocent young men and women and have all the opportunity you have provided yourselves. However, you have been taught magic that assures the power to merely defend oneself. The Ministry finds this to be inadequate education during such times as this and will be implementing a class to equip you with the resources you need to learn offensive spellwork in the case that you may need it."

"So you're giving us an Offense Against the Dark Arts course?" a girl from Hufflepuff asked.

"Of sorts, yes," Gayle answered diplomatically. "But you will be learning directly, Dark Magic itself. This is in order to understand its uses." Now Ginny understood just why the teachers were so angry. Chatter and whispering erupted throughout the Great Hall.

"Is this some sort of Ministry encouragement for us to become Aurors?" someone called over the clatter and everyone quieted.

"Not at all. The Ministry encourages you all to become whatever it is you wish to become."

"Even Death Eaters?" a Gryffindor called daringly. Ginny had been thinking the same thing.

"Yes, is this course to teach us offensive spells or to demonstrate and reinforce the idea that Dark Magic is something that should be fought?" Lily Evans asked, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

"We believe it common sense that Dark Magic should be fought," Gayle replied indignantly.

"Do you? Because it seems as though you're beating around the bush that this course is literally teaching students Dark Magic," Sirius said standing up beside Lily.

"He's right!" shouted Ginny. Sirius and Lily and James and Peter turned around, surprised. Even Remus looked up at her with curiosity. "With all due respect, why on earth would you introduce a class that familiarizes students with Dark Magic without emphasizing that it's wrong to use on other people?"

"Because the Ministry recognizes that students of your age understand that and it is only being taken by seventh years. We will not assume students are Death Eaters," Gayle said puffing his chest out.

"Then the Ministry is incredibly naïve. I can name eleven Death Eaters in this room off the top of my head that you would be teaching Dark Magic to. I don't much like that you're teaching them anything at all."

The room exploded into conversation over Ginny's revelation of knowledge.

"Quiet!" Professor Dumbledore exclaimed. Once the room became silent, which was nearly instantaneous, Dumbledore continued. "I assure you that the Ministry will review their involvement in the education of the students at Hog-"

"I can assure you," Gayle interrupted, "that no such thing will be done. It has been reviewed plenty and our choice to implement this course is final."

"Then you'll see just how many students are Death Eaters. I refuse to take the class," Ginny said.

"Me too!" shouted dozens of other students.

"It is mandatory," Gayle replied snidely.

"Well James, how many detentions have we gotten so far?" Sirius said.

"Not quite enough I don't think."

"We're not going to class," Sirius said, addressing Dumbledore.

"So you can sign us up for all the detentions you like."

"May we be dismissed already?" Ginny asked, irritated. "I have some important classes to be getting to in order to learn to defeat Voldemort. If you don't mind, that's what I'd like to be doing. Have a pleasantly wonderful day."

Ginny left the Great Hall with Remus and many others following after her, first the Gryffindors, and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs and soon after a few Slytherin.

* * *

Remus had been thinking about Ginny for a week without end, since he found the Horcrux book and the History book. There was no reason she should have either of these texts and he spent day and night racking his brains as to why she did. He tried to conjure up stories as the reasons but they were always infiltrated with horrible ideas. She had her own Horcrux. She was protecting it. Or she was protecting someone else's Horcrux. And nothing explained the History of Magic book.

He spent all week thinking it over and he grew more and more worried over what it might mean. Even during the full moon, James and Sirius had said he'd been more upset and difficult than usual. Fear seemed to swell in his heart. He spent as much time with her as he could and tried to evaluate any discrepancies in what she said or how she acted. But truly there was none. She did her homework adamantly, paid as much attention in class as he did, practiced her spells, got along with teachers, tutored a few OWL students. She still refused to speak to Lily, James, or Peter, hung out with Regulus Black, and said nothing about her missing books. But after this morning, he was more confused than ever.

So he decided to consult the only high power he could without question.

Lily Evans.

"I don't know what to do. And I have no idea what it means. This is what she was reading the other night." Remus showed her both books. She flipped through the Horcrux book and her eyes grew wide. She didn't bother to pick up the history book.

"It does seem odd," she said. Her eyes glazed over his face. He knew she was trying to blur out the scratches on his face. "But does she seem to you like the person who would be involved with Dark Magic?"

"Well, no, not really," Remus admitted.

Lily put the book on his table and twisted her red hair around her finger. "Maybe it has something to do with why her parents were killed. Do you trust her?"

Remus hesitated. "I'm not sure anymore. I mean, she's very smart and seems good but…nothing adds up. Either she's lying or she's a lying Death Eater who lies very well."

"I don't think it's the latter Remus. Clearly she's lying but for what reason, I don't know. But I don't believe it to be bad. Not after this assembly at least."

"Do you really believe she can name the Death Eaters in this school?"

"You know Remus, I think I do. I haven't any idea how she would know at all. I trust her, I think. Besides this," Lily said holding up the Horcrux book, "I've been given no reason not to. She's shown nothing but goodness. I believe in that."

"Even though she refuses to look you in the eye? Talk to you at all?"

"I refuse to look Snape in the eye. I refuse to talk to him. But I would protect him if I knew he was doing good. I believe in this girl even still."

Remus remained unconvinced however. It was the first time he found himself incapable of completely agreeing with Lily. She was easily the brightest witch of their class but he didn't like being lied to. And it was too hard to just accept that he was being lied to. That evening he decided to confront Ginny while she studied in the Common Room alone, waiting for her roommates to fall asleep. Every evening this was her routine – she stayed in the Common Room until everyone else had fallen asleep.

"Hey Remus," she greeted, with her eyes still on her book but drooping with sleepiness.

Ginny missed Remus when he was gone for those few days. It had been difficult to look out the window at the Whomping Willow and know that he was transforming into a savage beast with little control. She was glad he had decided to keep her company tonight. Maybe they could discuss the assembly and how everyone had been acting all week. He'd probably ask her questions. He'd been distant all day. She laid aside the book she'd been flipping through which happened to be Snape's potions book.

"Do you know what a Horcrux is?" he asked all too casually. He stood in front of her with his arm on the wall like a flying buttress of an old Gothic Church.

"No," Ginny lied. "Why?"

"I found a book in the library, I was wondering if you were familiar with the topic," Remus told her. He revealed the book she'd gotten from the restricted section from his bag.

"How did you get that?" she asked, standing.

"You left it downstairs last week." He glared.

"Oh yes, when Sirius asked so politely if I was snogging his brother, I remember," Ginny replied snottily.

"Ginny who are you? What happened to you? I don't believe that you're family just died and you appeared here out of the blue. You know too much, your story doesn't add up."

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't expect me to allow you lie to me and be ok with it, to believe whatever rubbish you tell me and just follow after you. I don't know why I didn't see it before. You're still underage, whereas we turn seventeen before seventh year. How is it that you're so talented and learned, more so than nearly anyone else in the school, when you say you've been homeschooled and the rest of us have been attending the most prestigious school of magic in the world? You're doing some casual reading on Dark Magic. This is splitting your _soul_ in half," he said angrily, throwing the book on top of the table.

"Don't accuse me of making horcruxes," she warned.

"What else am I supposed to think? This book is about how to protect them. Why else would you read it?"

Ginny remained silent.

"You said your parents are part of the 'Order of the Phoenix' but there is no such thing. I'm pretty good at reading too. But you've got it down." He pulled another textbook from his bag and threw it in front of her feet. "I thought you had that book memorized cover to cover."

"Did you read it?" Ginny asked, terrified.

"I have my own copy! But why do you need it? You're not even in the class. Even students that are _taking _the class don't read that book."

"I enjoy it," Ginny said half-heartedly, somewhat relieved.

"Bloody hell, you do. Not even Lily Evans reads that damn book for pleasure. And then the best is how you can name Death Eaters off the top of your head, even students in this school. I've been at this school for nearly seven years and I've got no idea who's with You-Know-Who! But you've been here for less than two months and you can name his whole entourage."

Ginny exhaled everything in her lungs and inhaled slowly before speaking. "Remus, there are some things you have to understand. I can't tell you why nothing makes sense. Not because I don't want to but because it's too dangerous."

"I will keep all your secrets. You know that. Why don't you trust me?" he asked with pleading puppy-like eyes.

"I do trust you. Of course I trust you, you more than anyone."

"You only trust two people, it's not saying much. And that's another thing. Why are you so insistent on avoiding my friends? They're some of the best kids in the school. It can't be because your arrival was too embarrassing, at least not anymore. It's been months. You must be over that by now."

"Being near them is too hard."

"Did your parents teach you to give up when things were too hard and too dangerous?" he said, throwing up his arms exasperatedly. "It's too hard, it's too dangerous, let's keep it a secret," he mocked.

"Just like being a werewolf is too hard and too dangerous. I would expect you of all people to understand why some things just need to be kept secret!"

Remus looked stunned. Ginny, realizing her mistake, dropped her jaw and gasped. And then out of nowhere, Remus charged at her and she saw the wolf come through his human face. He pinned her up against the wall by her arms.

"How do you know that? Who told you? Snape? Dumbledore!"

"Looks like someone has a weak spot." He pressed her to the wall harder. "Beating up a girl, wolf-man. Are you going to bite me?"

"How do you know?"

"I already knew, no one told me."

"Prove it!"

"I can't and even if I could, you wouldn't believe me."

"You will tell me," he said, pushing his elbow up against her neck.

Ginny thought about patronizing him more, but figured she needed to stay alive in order to do what Harry had brought her here for. She sighed.

"I'm from the future. We've lost the war and I was sent back to change some things."

Again, Remus' face clouded over in confusion and then anger. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Of course I do. Like you said, I can name Death Eaters off the top of my head. My parents are a part of an organization that doesn't exist. I'm extremely gifted."

Remus remained silent, firm in his disbelief. He stared with stone eyes at Ginny, who shook her head sadly.

"I can tell you a bunch of things about yourself now that no one else knows. You, Sirius, James and Peter call yourselves the Marauders, Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail. James, Sirius and Pettigrew are Animagi. Illegal of course but James is a stag, Sirius is a dog and Pettigrew is rightfully a rat." She thought of Pettigrew causing Sirius to be imprisoned for twelve years. The deaths of James and Lily Potter.

"You could have found that out spying on us! You're a spy!"

"I'm a Gryffindor!" she screamed indignantly. "Why would I spy on you? Look in my bag, Remus. There's a Marauder's Map. It looks just like yours but I bet it looks considerably older. _Twenty years older_."

"So how do you open the map?"

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He looked surprised. "Mischief managed. That's how you close it." Remus seemed caught between checking and letting her go. "If you really don't believe me, I'll show you my History of Magic text book. It's a fortieth edition; yours should only be a thirtieth or something. There's history in my book that hasn't even happened yet."

Remus dropped her but pointed his wand at her. "Stay," he ordered.

He kept his wand pointed in her direction as he shoved his other hand into her bag. From it he drew the Marauder's Map, her copy.

"Reveal your secrets," he said with his wand over it.

_Padfoot politely asks Moony to stop being such a dimwit and open the damn thing. _

_Wormtail agrees but in a nicer manner. _

_Prongs says Moony is having a little trouble. His furry little problem has messed with his head. _

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The parchment unfolded itself.

"How did you get this?" he asked returning his wand to Ginny's chest.

"My brother's found it in Filch's office. They gave it to Harry and Harry gave it to me."

"Who's Harry?"

"I can't – "

"I believe you, Ginny. I do." He put his wand down and retrieved from his pocket his own copy of the Marauder's Map. T looked fresh and new. Barely any damage had been done to it, unlike the years of decay in Filch's desk drawer and then intense use by the Weasley twins and Harry Potter.

"You don't want to look in the book?" she asked.

"No. There are probably things in there I don't want to know," he told her maturely. "I do understand why things need to be kept secret. I'll know of only the things you think I should know."

"I don't know if I can. It might mess with the future."

Remus put both maps side by side in his hands and sat, occupying the seat Ginny had just vacated. He seemed to be analyzing the difference of time that had occurred between his map and hers and what the war had had to do with it. "We lost the war," he reasoned. "What else can you do to mess with it more?"

She sighed. She too sat in the loveseat beside his chair and put her face in her hands. "I guess then I should start with Harry."

* * *

Ginny was walking alone from Astronomy to the Gryffindor Common Room, asking Remus to walk with his friends. For the past few days he'd spent all of his time with her instead and she didn't want him to lose his friends because of her. After telling him the truth, Remus was endlessly curious about the future and was learning what the boundaries were in asking Ginny questions. Sometimes she would shake her head when he asked something she thought he was better off not knowing and he would shrug it off and other times she would happily tell him about her family and about school and the teachers.

This evening however, she desired some peace and quiet.

"Hello Ginny."

"Evening Snape," Ginny said coldly, simply out of habit.

"Your tone is not very nice, Weasley," said Clarissa Haile behind her. Ginny turned. "Don't you agree Severus?"

"I think I do agree. I believe my disposition was rather amiable don't you?"

"Absolutely."

"So let's try again. Crucio." Ginny cried out in pain and fell to her knees. "Hello Ginny."

"You have an unusually large, hawk-like nose Snape." She said through clenched teeth and he cursed her again."Your hair is so greasy the house-elves could fry our food with it." He cursed her again.

"So disrespectful," said McNaughton to Ginny's left. She looked around now and saw that she was surrounded by multiple Slytherin, a few she could name by heart and a few she knew she would recognize if they were just a bit older. "You ought to watch your tongue Weasley; it could get you into a lot of trouble."

"Not exactly the same kind of trouble you'll get into soon enough, regardless of whether or not you kill me," Ginny said through clenched teeth.

"Oh she's so kind," said Amycus Carrow and Ginny snarled, thinking of the beatings she gotten from that terrible witch. "I think she's got a crush on you."

"No, she likes Regulus," said Clarissa. "She's got a nasty little crush on him. Been teaching him how to be a good little boy like Sirius."

Ginny slowly inched her hand up her sleeve to retrieve her wand, allowing them to continue chatting maliciously.

"My curiosity however, lays in her abundant knowledge of the Dark Lord's roster page of seventh year Death Eaters," Snape said snidely. "Crucio."

Ginny bit her lip until it bled to keep herself from crying out.

"How do you know so much? You've been here at the school for less than two months and no Death Eaters have killed your parents. I would know," Clarissa said haughtily.

"You sound…" she gasped, "like Bellatrix Lestrange…Are you in love with Voldemort too?" Ginny asked and a few of the others chuckled.

"She's got appoint you know," one of them said.

"Crucio! Crucio! Crucio! You little whore you know nothing at all do you? You frail little loud mouth thinks you can get away with acting like a know-it-all!"

"Stupefy!" Ginny screamed, pulling out her wand and standing with such strength even she had no idea where it came from. Her stunning spell was so powerful it hit three Death Eaters at once. She tried to turn–

"Sectumsempra."

Falling to the floor again, Ginny felt the spell of hit her back. She watched the rest of the Death Eaters scatter, heard a few say "renervate" and breathed in her loneliness. She rolled over onto her back, wiping blood from her forehead before it dripped into her eyes. Her skin was cutting itself open from the inside, as though the blood in her veins was attacking her, it couldn't get out fast enough. Her body started convulsing, she shook, and then she was seizing, and then all went black.


	7. This Means War

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**Sorry for the re-update. You don't have to read it again, unless you really really want to. I just made some grammatical corrections.**

I do not own Harry Potter. I own the Weasley twins...nah I'm just kidding just I wish I did! ;)

Happy Almost Christmas!

* * *

Chapter Seven - This Means War

"_Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur."_

* * *

"Give me the Cloak!"

"Lily, no, I'm not going to give it to you. You're going to get yourself hurt," James protested. It was nearly midnight. He loved Lily more than anything in the world but they had a Potions test in the morning.

"Don't you dare coddle me James Potter! I will not be treated like a child! I'll get myself hurt if you _don't_ give me the Cloak. I'm going down there regardless. I'm going to curse him. I'm going to show him just what he does to other people. And then when he's had enough I'll curse him again!" Lily stomped back and forth across the wood floor of the seventh years' boys dormitory. James was sitting on top of his Cloak with Sirius beside him, holding it down with weight enough that Lily could not pull it from beneath them.

"Lily, calm down, you don't even know it was him," Peter said quietly from across the room. Remus had left already to go to the Hospital Wing.

"Of course I bloody well know it was him!" she screamed, shoving all of James' things off his desk in their dormitory. She picked up a quill and wrote something on a scratch piece of parchment. "The curse he used was one he invented himself; he told me a long time ago that he was going to make it." She handed the parchment to James.

"Sectumsempra. How can you prove it though love?"

"He's used it on you already," Lily said through clenched teeth and James' hand moved to the slight scar on his right cheek. "_You're_the reason he invented it. Ginny's damn well lucky he shared with me the counter curse back in fourth year and that I still remembered it. Give me the Cloak so I can go kill him."

"She's not even your friend."

"No, but she's a Gryffindor. And my dorm mate. And she's a good person. She doesn't randomly curse people. You don't even do that. What difference does it make anyways? Wouldn't you want to kill him regardless, I thought you hated him!"

"Why are you so eager to defend someone who can hardly stand to look at you?"

Lily froze and looked down at the floor. Tears splashed the wood and James stood, unable to watch them fall without wiping them away. He held her face in his hands. "Because the curse was my idea initially," Lily said shamefully. "To use on Bellatrix Lestrange," she added, as though she might redeem herself. "She bullied me in first year."

"Well done, Lily-flower," Sirius said delightedly. Lily looked at him murderously.

"Are you out of your mind!" she resumed stomping around the room again. "It was merely an angry thought I shared with him out of sheer immature frustration! I wasn't actually going to make it! But you two kept bullying him and by fourth year he'd gone and made it behind my back, with a special little twist. Mine was to be made with charmed magic. It would cut the skin where the person had hurt someone else before. Snape's version cuts the skin endlessly with Dark Magic! There's not stopping it and without the counter curse you'll keeping cutting and bleeding until you die."

"Lily, I understand that you feel guilty. But you need to let Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall handle this," James said to her seriously. She pulled away from him with dark eyes.

"James, you don't understand. We are in the middle of a war," she said gravely. "The Ministry wants to prepare us for it but I think they are already too late. The war is here. Right here, in Hogwarts, just as it is elsewhere. We may not be able to name them off the tops of our heads but we have our own Death Eaters here. We need some Aurors. I plan on being one of them. There's no running to Dumbledore and McGonagall anymore. The three of you, get that through your thick skulls. This isn't the protected school we once knew. This is the battle field. And it's started with Ginny."

* * *

Days and days went by and Ginny was still unconscious in the Hospital Wing. Remus kept a close eye on Regulus, making sure he was not attacked either, because he knew that was what Ginny would want him to do. It was unfortunate how frequent the attacks were becoming. In the next week after Ginny's attack, six more muggle-borns had been targeted. Two were still in the Hospital Wing with Ginny. Remus went daily to visit her, as did Lily. Oftentimes they went together.

Remus had little idea what to do now. He knew about Voldemort's horcruxes. But he didn't know where they were and there were six of them. What if Ginny died? Would the future rest on his shoulders? Did Professor Dumbledore know? And even if she didn't die now…what if she died later? How was he going to find this Harry boy once he was born? He didn't even know the kid's last name, only that his parents had been killed when he was just a year old and that Ginny starts dating him in her fifth year.

"There is going to be a boy named Harry. And before he's born there is a prophecy made about him and the Dark Lord. It says his parents will defy Voldemort three times, that he'll be born at the end of July, and will have power that Voldemort will not understand," she'd told him that evening. "The prophecy is overheard and the family is put into hiding. But they are betrayed while under the Fidelius Charm. Voldemort finds them and kills his parents. Harry was only one. He failed to kill Harry because his mother died for him. He becomes the only person to have ever survived the killing curse. His curse rebounded and he was destroyed. By then, Voldemort had made six Horcruxes. Harry became a seventh. In the end though, Voldemort killed Harry." Tears had come to Ginny's eyes. To Remus, this was almost like story time. To Ginny, this had happened only a couple months ago. "He sent me here to find horcruxes and to finish Voldemort off. A second chance. Once I find the one in Hogwarts, I'll be off looking for the rest."

"Ginny you should talk to Dumbledore and Sirius and James and Lily and Peter. Even Frank and Alice would want to help. We can help you. You can't go looking for six Horcruxes alone."

"I'd have to tell them all this. It's too dangerous. It's much easier and safer if it's just me."

"But now I'm in it too. It's not going to be just you, not ever. You can tell someone else. Tell them that your parents were part of a fighter group closely associated and that's how you know all of this. You wouldn't be lying. At least think about it," he'd pleaded.

That's all he knew. Without Ginny, Remus would only have one year to find this Harry. How would he help fight this war? He knew practically nothing about Voldemort or any prophecy made about him.

Between each class Remus would be halfway to Dumbledore's office to talk to him before he changed his mind and rushed to his next class before being late. What the hell was he going to do? He needed Ginny to wake up. Wake up Ginny, wake up. We need you.

* * *

Lily was determined to see that Ginny got better. While she was glad not to hear Ginny crying in the evening before bed when she thought they were all asleep, Lily knew she'd rather that than know she was unconscious in the Hospital Wing because of her loud mouth back in first year.

They all sat at the Gryffindor table; Lily beside James, then Sirius. In front of them sat Remus and Peter. Lily slipped out her wand and only James noticed. He looked over at her and then at Snape and then back at her with pleading eyes. _Please don't,_he seemed to be saying with his eyes.

_Levicorpus,_ she thought and Severus Snape went flying into the air by his right foot, dangling at least fifteen feet in the air. James looked impressed. His spells had never gotten him that high. He swiveled around as others laughed at him, even his own friends chuckled. He glared right at James but Lily leaned forward, her eyes piercing. Snape's went wide with fear and Lily smiled. _Liberacorpus,_she thought and he came crashing down on the table.

* * *

James was thinking long and hard about what Lily had said. There were times in the day, at least once a day, when he wanted to kiss her senseless. That night had been one of those moments. She was pure kindness, something he would never be. He found too much humor in everything to be kind enough, even to a girl that had never said a damn word to him. Lily went to see Ginny every day she was unconscious, always making sure she was comfortable, getting better, and breathing better. He decided then that he would join Lily. He'd wanted to become an Auror anyways. It didn't matter how soon he started.

* * *

Peter wondered at the ferocity of Lily Evans. To have a girl like that would've been a dream for him. He envied James more than anything. Handsome, talented, and popular, even with their teachers regardless of how many detentions he got. He went from class to class each day following behind him and Sirius, listening but hardly speaking as they talked about becoming Aurors, fighting the war, ignoring their new class to be started after Christmas, and about Ginny Weasley. Ginny was an odd girl they said. Ginny was very pretty, Sirius allowed. Ginny was very quiet, much like Peter. Ginny was afraid of Peter. Ginny didn't like Sirius or James. Ginny only liked Remus. Ginny this. Ginny that.

* * *

Sirius couldn't stop thinking about that girl. She was always in his head, in his dreams like he knew her somehow. But he didn't know Ginny. Regulus did. And she knew Regulus. He didn't know Regulus. He didn't know Ginny or Regulus. Sirius went to class every day, slowing down on the teasing and bullying as prompted by Lily's fabulous use of rhetoric and intelligence against her doting and wonderful boyfriend. It was no fun teasing someone when your best friends were having none of it. James was wrapped up in Lily, who was wrapped up in Ginny, just like Remus. And Peter…well he was just too…dumb. But he knew she was right anyhow. Aurors. Oh how his mother would hate him. How sweet it is…

* * *

Ginny woke up in the comfort of the white linen bed she'd been accustomed to previously. This time though she was not covered in bandages. She looked as though nothing had happened at all, except for the hundreds of pale scars all over her body. Luckily they were light, very nearly gone. But she felt like she'd been run over by the Hogwarts Express. She remained lying down, hoping somehow her dizziness and nausea would drift away.

"Dear, drink this," Madam Pomfrey said, after a half-hour or so when she noticed that Ginny was awake. "It's blood replenishing potion. Do you feel sick? Dizzy? Do the lights hurt your eyes? Is it hard to breathe? Can you speak?"

Ginny took a long gulp of the potion, nearly choked on it and took another. "I do feel sick. I'm not dizzy anymore. The lights are fine. I breathe fine."

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Well good. After that nasty curse you took I wasn't so sure. You've been on blood replenishing potion for six days. But I daresay we did a fine job. Please relax. Don't move too swiftly, we don't you vomiting all that potion. It'll be such a waste. We just need you to get better. The Headmaster will be down in a bit."

"What is she doing here?" Ginny asked softly, noticing the other seventh year red head asleep beside her. She was sitting in a transfigured sofa chair with her head resting on her crossed arms on Ginny's side table. She was breathing deeply but soundlessly and her wand was clutched desperately in her right hand.

"It was Miss Evans who found you that night. She was the only one who knew the counter curse. If it were not for her…well I think you know," Madam Pomfrey said euphemistically. "She insisted on staying the evening and has come back every day since, as has your friend Mr. Lupin. She was here at nine yesterday, studied here. Fell asleep around 3 in the morning I figure."

"She's been here all night?" Ginny asked, feeling a warmth she hadn't had in long time fill her heart. Guilt of the same sort filled her as well. She looked down thankfully at the nice girl. "What happened?"

"That night she levitated you down here after she'd used the counter curse when she found you, instructed me to use Dittany to stop the scarring, brought the Headmaster and your Head of House down here, and then rushed back up to Gryffindor Tower. She only came back just after midnight. She looked angry."

Ginny nodded and Madam Pomfrey went off to help another injured wizard. She looked around the Hospital Wing: nearly all the beds had been filled. A boy beside her was still unconscious. She couldn't tell what house he was in. But he looked only eleven years old. There were students of all houses and ages scattered around the room, half of them asleep or unconscious, a few in pain, others chugging potion as though it were Felix Felicis, and most bandaged.

Ginny wondered how Lily knew the counter curse. But she remembered: Lily had been best friends with Snape when they were younger. He probably told her of its invention.

It wasn't long that Ginny contemplated Snape's and Lily's relationship until Professor Dumbledore accompanied by Professor McGonagall entered the Hospital Wing and headed straight for her bed. Professor McGonagall transfigured a side table to become a chair and sat beside Ginny, opposite the resting Lily. Dumbledore stood at the foot of her cot.

"Miss Weasley, do you know who did this to you?" Dumbledore asked. He looked exhausted. Professor McGonagall held Ginny's hand and Ginny noticed the Headmaster's eyes fleetingly pass over the gesture and then quickly look away. Ginny truly appreciated the old witch's motherly affection but she couldn't help her overwhelming desire for Molly Weasley to be sitting beside her.

"Of course. Haile, the Carrows, McNaughton, Smith, Crabbe, Malfoy, Goyle, and a few others. Haile used the torture curse on me. But ultimately, it was Severus Snape," she said the name with malice, "who used a spell of his own creation on me. Creative isn't it?"

"Don't make light of the situation Miss Weasley, please," Professor McGonagall said sensitively.

"Is there any way for you to prove this?" Professor Dumbledore asked her, though knowing Ginny would not lie.

"Teach me how to draw a memory."

"My goodness Miss Weasley," Professor McGonagall said, "that's supremely advanced magic."

"Minerva, I don't think it should be a problem for Miss Weasley to learn. She is indeed already capable of producing a corporeal patronus. A horse. Most adult wizards even have trouble with it."

Professor McGonagall's eyes grew wide with shock. Clearly, she was impressed.

"I learned in my fourth year," she added, thinking that it was not quite as impressive as Harry, who had learned in his third year.

"But, while I don't believe you will have any problem learning to draw your memories I would rather not teach you. I find it advisable to keep all your memories securely and safely in your head. They are very precious. And very dangerous in wrong hands."

"But what if I die? What if they try to kill me again and they succeed? My memories would be lost forever."

"Indeed they would. And we would have to make do with what you've already told us. But it is far easier to protect one thing instead of two, especially when that one is capable of fighting for itself and determinedly keeping its own secrets."

Ginny nodded her understanding and asked instead, "So what precautions are we going to take in order to assure my protection?"

"For starters, you are never to walk about the castle or the grounds alone," Professor McGonagall said. "That is the most significant."

"Also, your teachers have been informed of your importance and they have been directed to make the extra effort in taking care of you," Dumbledore added.

"How much of my importance do they know?"

"Simply, that you are important. Only your Head of House," Professor Dumbledore said, motioning to Professor McGonagall, "and myself know exactly why. The other teachers trust my judgment enough to protect you blindly. You will, Ginny, need to restrain yourself from outbursts like you made at the assembly or you will further make yourself a target, making the rest of our tasks considerably more difficult."

"Sir, I have books…" Ginny looked down at Lily. "Special books. They're very important. Should I give them to you for safekeeping?"

Dumbledore hesitated. "No, I don't think that's necessary. Hide them well within your things. They should be fine."

"Wait a moment. I can prove it was Snape," Ginny realized just as she spoke, thinking of her books. "It's written in his Potions textbook. Grade six. He wrote it in the margin, I don't remember the page." She remembered that it was where Harry had found the spell and had used it on Malfoy.

Professor McGonagall stood. "I'll have Horace confiscate it immediately."

"Shut up and let me in!" The two professors and Ginny turned to find Remus pushing rudely past Madam Pomfrey. He made a beeline toward the group without removing his eyes from Ginny.

"How are you feeling Ginny?"

"Mr. Lupin," Madam Pomfrey exclaimed softly, scurrying up behind him, "please lower your voice."

"It's quite alright, Poppy. Remus is merely worried for the well-being of his friend. It is the first time he has ever had the opportunity to worry about the health of a friend of his. Usually, it is the reverse as you well know, having Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and Mr. Pettigrew accompanying him so often. I suspect he wants to do just a good a job of worrying as his friends do for him." Madam Pomfrey sighed but nodded and left to tend other students.

"Hey Rem, how are you feeling?"

"Me?" Remus asked incredulously.

"It seems as though Miss Weasley is attempting to mask her own situation by highlighting your own well-being Mr. Lupin."

"And you are gracefully undermining that attempt Professor," Ginny said and the old wizard chuckled.

"Mr. Lupin, Miss Weasley will be fine," Professor McGonagall assured him. "She was attacked by a few of your fellow classmates late Sunday evening. As a friend of hers may I impede upon your help in protecting her? Keeping her company through the corridors and the grounds?"

"Absolutely," Remus replied instantly.

"Now that's done with, I believe the two of you should deal with your other friend, who I believe might be suffering from a decent crick in the neck," Professor Dumbledore said, pointing at Lily, still fast asleep beside Ginny.

Dumbledore and McGonagall left.

"Lily…" Ginny prodded that girl slightly and she opened her eyes and looked up at Ginny. She looked away. Remus still didn't understand why.

"Ginny? You're ok! Thank God." Lily jumped up and wrapped her arms around her and Ginny patted her awkwardly. "How are you feeling? Do you want something to drink? Hot towel or something? It's a little chilly in here, do you want another blanket?"

"I'm fine. Thank you. For everything." Ginny stared down at her sheets. "Really, thank you so much. Madam Pomfrey told me you found me and knew the counter curse."

"Of course," Lily replied, a little disheartened. "I would hope that it would be the same for all of us. We're all on the same side." With that, Lily left the Hospital Wing too.

"You could have done a better job than that," Remus told her. He took the seat Lily had just left. "But we need to talk. I've been thinking all week about you." Ginny's heart lifted oddly. What did that mean? "What would happen if you had died? We don't know enough. I think the most important is where the you-know-whats are. And then secondly, where this boy Harry is from. What's his full name? If something happens to you, no one will ever know anything."

Ginny sighed. "I agree with you. I think you're right. But you're not going to like it." Ginny had Remus give her bag. She pulled from inside the Cloak of Invisibility.

"But that's…how did you get James' Cloak?"

"This is where it gets hard. Harry gave me this Cloak. James should still have his own. This one is from the future."

"That thing has been handed down through James' family for centuries. How…?" But Remus suddenly realized.

"That's how I know you. That's why it's too hard to look at James and Lily. Harry's full name is Harry James Potter. And he has green, green eyes."

"Potter…? Green…But then…" Remus' face filled with shock.

Ginny had told as much as she could about what was important, strategically leaving out certain names and places and Tonks and Teddy. She told him about Harry, that his parents had been killed because they'd been betrayed by a friend but not who they were. She told him about the prophecy made about Harry and Voldemort, about his seven horcruxes, one that included Harry himself. She didn't mention Peter's doings or Sirius going to Azkaban or Frank and Alice Longbottom being tortured into insanity. She said nothing about Severus Snape and his duplicity because of his love for Lily Potter. She refused to tell him about his future. Just the cold hard facts that led to the end. But she knew it wouldn't be enough anymore, no matter what Dumbledore wanted.

"James and Lily have a son…"

"And he was outstanding. I loved him."

* * *

The next day, word had finally gotten around that Ginny had woken up. Regulus came down after breakfast. It was a Saturday. The days were getting colder. Christmas was coming but no one seemed to be humming carols on their way down the hall.

"Are you ok?" Regulus asked, walking up beside her and checking her sheets and pillows for comfort.

"I am now. I wasn't so good earlier. Apparently I've been out for a week."

Regulus nodded.

"I'm glad you weren't there though. You see, you don't have to be part of this. It's just terrible."

Again, Regulus merely nodded. They sat talking quietly for a little while about school and classes when a little Hufflepuff boy passed by with Madam Pomfrey toward the exit. His name was Able Montgomery, Ginny had learned, a first year, attacked the night after Ginny with numerous Cruciatus Curses. He'd spent a good while in the bed beside Ginny's until he woke up and was moved to a bed closer to Madam Pomfrey's office because he kept having nightmares. He was finally recovered and allowed to leave to go back to class. He looked up at Regulus with terror and hugged close to Madam Pomfrey. This reaction did not go unnoticed by Ginny Weasley.

"You didn't. Tell me you didn't," Ginny demanded shaking her head, pulling away from him.

"I didn't do anything…"

"But you were there weren't you? Weren't you! Regulus, he's eleven years old! And you watched them mutilate him."

"I didn't do anything though. Yea I was there, I don't want to get cursed either you know," Regulus said.

"He's a child," was all she replied. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I won't do it again, I promise. Ginny, don't, it's not that bad."

"How can you defend them? Look around the room Regulus. Look at all the people they've hurt in the past week. Seven days alone and there are five people in here who can barely breathe. We can't go to class, live our lives. Some of them are so young they can't even defend themselves. Some are so young they don't even know why they were attacked. They know nothing about this war."

"Ginny-"

"Regulus, listen to me. Do you enjoy the idea of killing someone because they aren't like you? Because that's what these people are doing. It's genocide. It's like…like killing me because I have red hair. Every day Voldemort and his Death Eaters hunt down and kill muggles and muggle-borns because they aren't like us. And they think its fun. Regulus, you are a good person. You're not like them."

"But they're my family. Of course I'm like them. I can't just leave them like Sirius did to me!"

For the first time, Regulus was opening up to Ginny. She saw the pain Sirius had caused him by leaving. He didn't understand why Sirius left – all he saw was abandonment. Ginny let her voice soften but her purpose did not waver. "Regulus, I'm sorry. I'm sorry Sirius hurt you so much. But you can follow him. He is on the right path. I don't believe he meant to hurt you. I believe he needed to get out and he didn't know how to bring you with him. He was so young. You were so young. You needed your parents."

"But he's a bully. He hurts people," Regulus protested, sitting on the edge of her bed, one hand covering his mouth. Small tears streamed down his face.

"He's not a killer. And neither are you."

"How do you know? What if I am a killer? What if I'm no better than the rest of them?"

"Because you have a choice to be better."

Regulus looked at Ginny helplessly, pleadingly through tear soak eyes. He was desperate. "How do I do it Ginny? How do I make that choice? I need help."

Ginny took hold of his hand. She squeezed it. "You have to be willing to give up everything you have now. Your family. You have to let go of your appreciation of everything they've done for you. You have to forget it all. You would have to remove them completely from your life. No turning back. It's too dangerous."

Regulus was silent for a moment, thinking, holding in tears, trying to wrap his mind around everything. Tears fell slowly but silently down his cheeks. "Ok Ginny. Just…just show me how."

* * *

**The chapters are indeed getting longer and longer. Hope you guys don't mind! Special thanks to TimeToWriteIsHistory and Kellsabelle for their consistent reviews and exclamation points! Your enthusiasm makes me want to post faster. I'm ignoring winter homework for you guys!**

**Again, all of you have a Happy Christmas if you celebrate it and a Happy Holiday nonetheless, whatever you celebrate!**

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**Also, reading is much better if you click the 1/2 or 3/4 screen. Just a hint, it's annoying to read these long long lines, depending on the type of monitor you have. I always lose my space.**


	8. This is Your Home Now

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, and 94pinkflowers for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D 25! Yay!**

**I was asked if Professor Dippet was Headmaster during the Marauder's time. In fact, Professor Dumbledore became Headmaster of Hogwarts long before the Marauder's were even born. Happily, I don't have to correct the last seven chapters. But thanks for making me pay way more attention to canon and detail!**

**And naturally, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I would brag about it. And no one likes a boggart. I mean...braggart. ;)**

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Chapter Eight: This is Your Home Now

"Dumbledore said she's important. Don't you trust him? Don't you trust Professor McGonagall?" Lily stood in the middle of their dorm turning to look at all the occupied beds. They were all awake, just beginning to get cozy when Lily had come in trying to recruit them for help. Ginny was downstairs, just getting out of the Hospital Wing.

"Well of course we trust them," Mary MacDonald replied to Lily standing from her bed and crossing her arms. "We don't trust her though." She pointed at Ginny's empty bed.

"Why should you have to? Dumbledore does. And besides the point of being there for her is to get her to open up and talk to us."

"I'm with Mary on this," Ravenna Jones intervened. "We don't know why she's important or even if we _can_ help. She doesn't want friends. Except for Remus and that sixth year Slytherin –"

"His name is Regulus," Lily said sourly.

"Fine, Regulus. Except for Remus and Regulus she's chosen to ignore everyone in the school. We have no reason to help her."

"Except that Dumbledore and McGonagall are helping her and they are against Voldemort. Would you put two and two together?"

"Lily, why do you still want to help her?" Mary asked. "You've been trying for months to get her to be friends with you and she either beats around the bush, hardly looking you in the eye or she boldface ignores you. Please don't try dragging us into it."

"Clearly I need help, then. I can't do it alone. Please help me," Lily begged. Her three roommates stood in the center of their dorm, two with their arms crossed, the other twiddling her thumbs indifferently.

"Look," Ravenna said, "we know she's having problems and we understand that. It's easy to see she's been through something terrible. We hear her cry every night too. But you've tried talking to her, inviting her to participate, going to Quidditch games together. She's made it apparent that she doesn't want help. She wants to be left alone."

"And plus," Mary interrupted, "she's friends with Regulus Black. He's all sorts of trouble you know, and I don't want to be involved with him."

At that point Lily knew she'd lost them. Everyone was blind in this school. They saw what they wanted to see, what they chose to see in people, never the changes that people make. No one on their side recognized the changes Ginny was making; not only in Regulus but in Remus and even the atmosphere of Hogwarts itself. Even if it was for the better the primal mind chose to believe in the worst always. If the change was significant then and only then was it worth commendation. If not, then it didn't matter and it wasn't worth contributing to.

Gryffindors, Lily scoffed in her mind. How did they make it into Gryffindor? They're cowards, the lot of them.

Lily hardly knew Ginny Weasley that was true. But she had utmost respect for the girl. She didn't know what was so special about her that made Professor Dumbledore order the protection of her by all the Hogwarts staff but she trusted him implicitly. She'd been awake when they were talking in the Hospital Wing. And she knew then that if Ginny was important enough to be protected she would make damn sure that she was there to help. And protecting her began with befriending her.

Remus will help, she thought as she lay in bed that evening. All of this is what she was thinking as her bed curtains were pulled aside and someone got into bed beside her.

"Lily," she heard her name whispered beside her. It was Alice Prewett. Alice was possibly Lily's closest female friend which said very little about her arsenal of female friends. Ever since she began dating James (he asked her out on the Hogwarts Express) she'd hardly spent any time with girls. While she hung out with them in the evenings before bed and the morning before breakfast, she gave most of her time to James and Remus and their friends.

"Yes?"

"Is she really that important?"

Lily nodded.

"I want to help you. I want to help Ginny."

"Really?" Lily whispered.

"Mhm. She may not want help not but we have to keep showing her we want to help until she accepts it," Alice told her wisely and Lily suddenly missed her friend overwhelmingly.

Very quietly they devised a plan so as to get Ginny to spend some time with them and then Alice slipped back into her own bed.

The door to their dormitory opened and Ginny came in making barely any noise. Lily listened. Ginny arranged her things, put away books, turning down her bed. She went into the bathroom. Water fell from the sink faucet. She brushed her teeth. She undressed, her robes falling to the floor. She dressed. She left the bathroom, walked barefoot across the dorm and curled herself in bed. She closed the curtains. Moments later, Lily heard Ginny fall to tears.

* * *

Remus hoped that Ginny didn't mind him asking questions. He tried his hardest to ask relevant questions, questions that had to do with the Horcruxes and not his or his friends' lives although he was endlessly curious. So much was going on with attacks and schoolwork and the upcoming Christmas Break and the new class to be started that Ginny had nearly forgotten that there were Horcruxes to be looking for. After Ginny was let out from the Hospital Wing the talking around the school had enhanced. According to the gossip Ginny was part veela, a distant cousin of the moderately famous Aurors the Prewett twins, and a seer.

"Only one of them is somewhat true," Ginny said at lunch one day.

"You're part veela?" he guessed with a laugh.

"My sister-in-law was," Ginny said, remembering the wedding, the last time Ginny really had been with Harry and her whole family. "But no, the Prewett twins are actually my uncles. They passed away before I was born."

But after all this time and gossip, it was Remus, who had reminded her about the Horcruxes, with all of his questions.

"What are they? What do they look like?" he asked.

"Well, most of them…well… it's hard to explain. There are a few that I haven't any idea where they are. Most of them actually. I know one is in a vault at Gringotts. But I know _what_ they are. One is a diary. I think it's in the possession of Lucius Malfoy or even still Voldemort himself. It's a formidable thing."

"How so?" Remus asked all business.

"In my first year, it possessed me." Ginny was in the middle of reading A History of Magic and said it without realizing what sort of reaction she would get from Remus.

"It what? The Horcrux? You mean to tell me you were possessed by Voldemort when you were only eleven years old?"

Ginny nodded. "I had a very decent crush on Harry. He barely knew I existed. It was his second year. I found the diary in one of my secondhand books and I just thought, very naively of course, that someone had left it and forgotten about it. I didn't know it was a Horcrux. So I wrote in it and it wrote back. I would talk with Tom Riddle for hours just writing back and forth. I talked about Harry all of the time because I just kept wishing he would talk to me. Tom knew exactly what to say to make me feel better," she said a little sadly. "I got too close and he accessed what made me who I am. He possessed me and made me open the Chamber of Secrets. I woke up in places, didn't remember where I was for hours."

"Chamber of Secrets? I heard that was only a myth…"

"Oh no, it's real. Very real. There's a lovely basilisk that lives there as well."

"Here…here in Hogwarts…a basilisk?"

"Don't be so surprised," Ginny said gravely, "there are plenty more and worse dark things going on within this castle. Haven't had the same Defense teacher for more than one year have you?"

"No," Remus replied wondering how she could possibly know that.

"Neither did I. The position is cursed. Voldemort is the one who cursed it. And if I'm not mistaken one of the horcruxes is probably in Hogwarts. I just don't know where."

Remus shook his head. "He really gets to everything doesn't he? He never misses."

Class went on as usual. Ginny remained distant from Remus' friends as best she could, even at his insistence that she should get to know them. Remus spent most of his time with Ginny anyways. When Ginny insisted she spend time with Regulus, which to Remus' demise became rather often, Remus joined Sirius, James, Lily, and Peter on their escapades throughout the day. During one of those times, of course, Lily had approached him.

"Alice and I want to help Ginny. I know that she's important and I don't know why but I think you know and you don't have to tell me but we want to help whatever it is she's doing or protecting her or anything," she said all in one breath when they were alone in the library one afternoon. "Is that ok? We want to try and be friends with her and we know it's going to be hard. Will you help?"

Naturally, Remus agreed. He understood why Ginny was trying to stay away from her but Lily had openly said she wanted to help, blindly or not, and Remus wasn't about to let Ginny pass that up because she was too emotionally unstable. To him, it was the world at stake.

But he kept mum about Lily's plan when he was with Ginny. Once, on a day Ginny had spent all day with Regulus, Remus decided to ask her one question that wasn't about horcruxes. They were laying outside on a Sunday afternoon by the lake taking a day off from work and class and horcruxes. It was freezing out, not cold enough to snow but cold enough to wear every piece of warm clothing you owned. Remus had given Ginny his coat since she had none and he wore layered sweaters.

"Why are you friends with Regulus?" he asked turning on his side to face her.

Caught a bit off guard by the question, Ginny faltered.

"Why are you friends with him? I'm not condoning it," he assured her, "I'm just curious."

She turned her head in his direction, almost as if to confirm this before she turned her face back to the sun and closed her eyes. "In the future he becomes a Death Eater before he turns seventeen," she told him. "And I think I've diverted him from doing that. By being his friend and teaching him about what's right and what the things the Death Eater's are wrong he's agreed that he doesn't believe in what they do. But I feel like I'm at a dead end. He doesn't hang out with his old friends in Slytherin anymore but then that makes him only have one friend."

"You're only one better," Remus commented, implying his thoughts on her talking to his friends. Ginny ignored this and he sighed at her indifference. "Maybe you should try to convince him to pull a Sirius, go the long haul. Tell him to ask James if he can live with him and Sirius. Mr. and Mrs. Potter have been asking Sirius for months about Regulus."

Ginny thought about this idea. It would certainly get him out of that terrible Grimmauld Place where his crazy parents drilled pureblood supremacy into his head. It also had potential to bring him and his brother together and she knew Regulus would love that. He could become friends with James and Sirius and Remus and Lily and Peter and be the newest Marauder. But it would also make him a target for Death Eaters at school in the Slytherin dungeons. Regulus was already having problems with them in the first place for just being friends with her and for not wanting to torture first-year muggle-borns. It would be much more intense for him if he made a full-fledged betrayal.

Regulus was at school most of the time and it would be harder to protect him. If he stayed at his parents' and made them all think he was on their side it would keep him safer. But Ginny didn't believe he was strong enough to make himself a double agent. He didn't love anyone on this side enough to make himself strong enough like Snape had. Ginny thought Sirius might be that person for Regulus, but it wasn't the same. If Sirius hadn't brought him to the right side after all these years, he wasn't going to help keep his head on straight while surrounded by Death Eaters. The only way to keep Regulus a blood traitor was to have him completely cross the line.

And while Remus was plotting behind her back to get her to befriend Lily and Alice, he chose to become friends with Regulus.

"Hey," he greeted when he found Regulus alone in a deserted corridor. Remus had actually been looking for him for the sole purpose of bringing him aside to randomly say hello and the situation turned in his favor. But he reminded himself to instill in the sixth year the danger he was putting himself in by walking around the castle alone. Remus decided to help Ginny out; maybe it was to help Regulus or maybe it was to prove to Ginny that leaps had to be made. Either way Regulus greeted him back.

"Lupin. Um, hi." Regulus seemed taken aback by this unusually friendly greeting from one his older brothers' friends. "Did Ginny ask you to-"

"No. I decided myself. Call me Remus."

"Ok. Remus. I'm Regulus. Nice to make your acquaintance."

Remus and Regulus agreed to friendship but hung out mostly when Sirius or James or Peter couldn't spot them. Within all this sneaking around and teaming up, Remus found himself to be getting a little more outspoken in personality, less shy, a bit more daring. Ginny really was impacting him.

Together, Ginny and Remus began subtly coaxing Regulus to talk to James.

"They wouldn't mind you staying with them. They have a huge house and only two boys to fill it. I'll end up staying with them eventually," Remus said.

"You should really ask James," Ginny put in.

"You know I think I will," Regulus finally said one day. "Under one condition." He looked at Ginny and she looked curiously back. "You have to start talking to James too."

"But-" She glared at Remus, knowing this idea was of his conjuring Remus couldn't care less who Ginny befriended.

"Those are the conditions. If I'm going to be friends with them then you have to too. I'm not doing it alone."

"You won't be alone, you'll have Remus."

"But as much as I appreciate him and all, it seems odd doesn't it? That I've just suddenly decided to ask James to stay with him and I'm suddenly super good friends with Remus when, to them, I haven't spoken to him…ever." Ginny conceded that Regulus made a good point. She wondered how Remus had convinced Regulus to blackmail her into talking to James without actually telling him why she didn't talk to James. Whether it truly mattered or not, she didn't know but she didn't want to go near James.

"We'll see," was all she replied.

"That's fine. The second you let me know, I'll ask him."

There was indeed much teaming up in Hogwarts now. Remus, Lily, and Alice were together in helping Ginny; Remus and Ginny teamed up to help Regulus; Regulus and Remus teamed up to help Ginny; and Remus and Ginny were teamed up to save the future.

Now that Remus and Regulus were friends it was far easier for Remus to spend time with Ginny because he could when Regulus was there. But it gave them less time to discuss horcruxes. Instead of talking about them at the library now, they restricted their discussions to late nights in the Gryffindor Common Room. They had some time for that. They needed help, he knew.

Mostly though, Remus was eager to get Ginny some female companions in Lily and Alice. Though she didn't seem like a girl who hung around much with girls, especially with six older brothers, he hoped it would help her deal with her emotions about Harry and her family and begin to let go of her past so they could focus on changing the future.

* * *

"Hi Ginny," Alice said brightly, early one morning. It was a Tuesday, one of the last before Christmas break. She and Lily were up in time to catch Ginny before she left. She usually woke so early that she was dressed and done with breakfast before any of her dormmates even opened an eye. "Sleep well?"

"Yes," she replied. Lily heard from across the room and knew Ginny was lying. She'd been tossing all night. But Lily knew indifference too well. It was a simple answer that inspired no encouragement for further conversation. Petunia was a master at it.

Instead of addressing Ginny then, Lily began loud conversation with Alice. "So James and I are going to Hogsmeade this weekend," she said casually as she pulled on her trainers. "You should come with us."

"I'll be a lovely third wheel, won't I?" Alice replied. They saw Ginny try to slip out unnoticed but they followed after her. Walking on either side of her, they continued their conversation.

"Hardly, you should invite Frank. You know he'd be delighted."

"Oh please. I heard he was planning on asking Donna Reeves."

They stepped out of the portrait hole.

"Did you hear was going to ask her or did he tell you he was going to? Besides, Reeves is only a sixth year. He wouldn't be thick enough." Ginny seemed to be trying to shrink into vapor.

"There's nothing wrong with dating a sixth year," Alice protested.

"No there's not, except when you have a gorgeous friend you already fancy standing right beside you all of the time."

"He does not!" Alice said, truly blushing. They entered the Great Hall and sat down to eat, Alice sitting beside Ginny and Lily in front of them. Ginny put her head down over her oatmeal.

"He definitely does. Just stares at you all through Herbology, the one class he doesn't have to really pay attention in. I heard he likes to watch you work."

Alice blushed even more but said, "Did you just hear that or did he tell you?"

"Boys gossip just as much as we do," Lily said smartly.

"I don't think he would want to go on some sort of double date with the most popular and happy couple in the whole castle. It's too exposed."

"I think he's too shy to ask you himself. What do you think Ginny?" Lily asked, finally pulling the girl into the conversation.

Ginny's head snapped up. "Me?"

"Yeah, what do you think about me and Frank?"

"You and Frank…Longbottom?" Alice nodded and Ginny offered a small smile to the dark-haired witch. "The two of you will be a great couple."

Alice beamed. "You really think so?"

Ginny nodded.

"Well, I'll be so nervous even if he does agree to go. You and James will probably be wrapped up in each other the whole time."

"No we won't! Well…perhaps it might be better if Ginny comes too."

"That would be wonderful!" Alice exclaimed.

"Oh really, I can't," she declined politely. "I've got…studying to be doing. I was just going to stay in the castle, get some things done."

"Stay in the castle on the Hogsmeade weekend just before Christmas? But you couldn't possibly!"

"I think it's because she doesn't have a date," Alice said before Ginny could decline again.

"Remus. I bet he would love to take her."

"I would bet on it."

"But-"

"So it's settled."

"A triple date into Hogsmeade. Sounds great."

"Well I'm full. I'm going to go get James."

"Me too. I guess I might as well meet up with Mary and Ravenna."

They both stood.

"Bye Ginny."

"See you."

* * *

Ginny had watched it happen before her eyes and was helpless to stop it. She'd been worked into a Hogsmeade trip, on a date no less. She walked into Potions class miserably.

"Miss Weasley, you look terrible," Professor Slughorn told her, always the reserved one and she grimaced.

"Thank you, sir." Ginny sat alone at her table and pulled out her textbook. From the corner of her eye she could see Lily and Alice talking to James and Frank most likely about their trip into Hogsmeade. Frank looked delighted. James looked indecisive. Ginny looked miserable.

"I figured they would get to you eventually. They don't take no for an answer," Remus said sitting beside her and pulling out his own textbook. His scars seemed invisible and his sandy hair was shorter.

"I really don't want –"

"And I respect why," he interrupted. "But I want to go to Hogsmeade with you. And I've already promised Lily that I would take you and go with them. So you see there's really nothing to be done about it."

Ginny shook her head sourly. "You're getting more like James and Sirius. I'm not going."

"If I have to drag you by your pretty red hair, it wouldn't make a difference."

"More like Snape."

"Stop it Ginny. Please just stick your thumb in your mouth and go with me. Have it be my Christmas gift from you. You might even enjoy yourself."

"Shush shush," Slughorn called and the class quieted. "Turn to page 153 and follow the directions to create the Draught of Peace potion."

Ginny left the table to get the ingredients: powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, powdered Porcupine Quills, Valerian Root, and powdered Unicorn Horn. Remus had a new plan.

* * *

They left for Hogsmeade late in the morning, James being incapable of waking earlier than ten on a weekend. Bundled up in coats and boots they waded through the snow toward the bustling village. Ginny naturally kept quiet through the whole walk as the rest of them talked about class and teachers and having to deal with the dumb class they'd have to start in the new year. Ginny found it all infinitesimal to what she could be doing if she was back at the castle.

At the Three Broomsticks they sat in the corner of the restaurant at a round table. Ginny sat between Lily and Remus and ordered herself a firewhisky. Lily began talking about Alice and Frank and how cute they were as a couple and then Frank went ahead and said he hoped they would make it official to which Alice agreed and they made a toast to the happy couple. Then Remus asked James about Sirius' prank drive lately, to which James replied that it had very much subsided because of James' lack of encouragement and he said he thought Sirius might be going into prank withdrawal. Ginny would've laughed at it but she thought that that might be something Harry would say about her twin brothers. They all incessantly attempted to cajole Ginny into conversation but she felt that she was violating all of her morals.

Harry Potter. Harry Potter's parents were sitting right in front of her on a triple date drinking butterbeer and chatting casually about relationships and pranking. They sat beside Neville Longbottom's parents, new into their own relationship. Little did they know that two of them would be dead and the other two would be tortured into lifelong insanity. But Ginny knew. And as she watched them talk happily and hold hands and blush at each other all she could picture was Alice and Frank, loony in bed at St. Mungo's for the rest of their lives while Neville held on to stupid gum wrappers, the only thing his parents could offer him in their insanity and James and Lily lying dead on the floor of their cottage in Godric's Hollow, a house they didn't even have yet and Harry having that very moment of their deaths recurring in his head through Voldemort's memories inside his own head…

Harry. She was on a date. But not with Harry.

"I think Professor McGonagall is going to give us a practice exam for our N.E.W.T.S don't you?" Alice was saying.

"I think s- Ginny? Are you all right?" Ginny had stood up suddenly breathing very quickly, unable to catch her breath. Remus looked down at her firewhisky. It hadn't been touched. "How about you have something to drink," he offered and Ginny shook her head. She knew he'd put Draught of Peace in it. She was emotionally unstable not stupid.

She felt the tears coming and rushed from the table and out the door. "Ginny!" she heard Lily call from a distance behind her but she ran. Not to Hogwarts but away, she wanted to get away. She needed to be somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere where she could just be without thinking of her family or her boyfriend or her friends…all dead.

"Ginny! Please wait, you can't go that far out anyways!" It was Remus running behind her. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her by her arm to turn her around.

"I don't care. I'm not coming back." Ginny declared rebelliously looking down at her feet. She tried to compose herself, sniffled up whatever was on her face, and wiped away the salty water on her cheeks.

"Where are you going to go? You think you can just go home? This is your home now."

"I have a home. It's not here. Not at Hogwarts and not in 1977. It doesn't matter. I'll find somewhere to go," she said through blurred tears and she turned around again and stomped in the direction shee'd been heading. "I'll figure it out. I don't need this. I can do it by myself. In fact, it'll be easier alone; I won't have to worry about any of you dying."

Remus ran up and pulled her around again. He looked to his right and saw the Shrieking Shack. He cleared his mind and face Ginny again, holding her by her shoulders firmly. "That's for us to worry about not you. We're willing to help. They're willing to help without even knowing why or how or what. They trust you."

"They trust Dumbledore, as well they should. But not me. I just can't be around them. I've seen their fates Remus! Lily and James are betrayed and brutally murdered and Alice and Frank are tortured into lifelong beds at St. Mungo's because their brains are turned to goo, while both couples leave behind their poor sons who barely have anyone else."

"You know what Ginny?" Remus asked. "You're absolutely right. That is their fate. That is their fate without you here. You can change that. Don't you want to?"

"I don't know if I should!" she exclaimed indignantly, looking up at him. "What if it changes things that I can't control?"

"Ginny, everything you do will change things you can't control."

"I can control what I know and that's my family and my friends and what's happened to them. That's what I care about."

"I don't mean to be insensitive but…you don't have a family anymore. You don't have your old friends. You don't have a boyfriend anymore. Nothing's happened to them here. Most of them don't even exist yet. All you have is me and Regulus. And that's a sad excuse for a family. I don't know what you think is going to happen in your future, but you need to embrace what you have now. Please. The future depends on it. The lives of all the people around you depend on it. We all depend on you."

Remus turned and made his way back to the warmth of the Three Broomsticks and Ginny buried her face in her hands. She hated him. She hated him so much. She wished she'd never met him and she'd just died. She hated Harry for sending her back here. And she hated Remus for being absolutely right.

* * *

**I know, I know it's been a while since my last update. But it's been Christmas! And my family is as insane as Bellatrix Lestrange without the Dark Magic. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this installment. I hope you review as well. Let it be my Christmas present from you. And all you who have alerted and are reading...I know you're there...review please? :D **

**Happy Christmas, Happy New Year.**


	9. Your Face and Your Eyes

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, and OhhKae for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

So allow me to apologize for the long wait. School has gotten in my way so terribly. Forgive me, please! But hopefully this chapter sounds cohesive enough to read it all the way through. I think I wrote a paragraph in every chance I could which far and long between. Enjoy and review! The next one should be up sooner.

I don't own Harry Potter. It is a sad sad story I might write one day. Maybe. Probably not.

* * *

Chapter Nine - Your Face and Your Eyes

"I don't get it. She won't even look at me. Not in class, not at dinner. Never." At breakfast a few days later, a Tuesday, James was reminiscing about Ginny's fleeing from the Three Broomsticks. He'd been the only one angry about it, much influenced by the annoyance and bother of his best friend, who in no way was helping Remus and Lily encourage him to empathize with the "poor girl" and was in fact pissing and moaning only a slight decibel lower than his spectacled friend. "She never has. And now after Hogsmeade it's even worse. The girl is scared of me. But why me? And why Lily? She doesn't talk to Alice or Frank but at least she's cordial to them. Doesn't blankly ignore them. And she's been skipping class too, have you noticed?"

Remus shrugged. In fact, Ginny had not been skipping class at all. She'd taken to walking about the castle and sitting in class with the Invisibility Cloak on her person at all times. That's what he supposed at least; Ginny hadn't spoken to him since that afternoon. It pained him not to see Ginny at all.

"Why do you care? At least she's not hanging around your evil pureblood little brother," Sirius said just as sourly. He played with his food, moving it around his plate and flicking it into Peter's pumpkin juice without him noticing. His face rested on one fist supported by an elbow on the table. He grimaced into his palm.

"She doesn't just hang out with him to be friends with him. She says she's trying to protect him," Remus said thinking _granted that you don't._ "She's very knowledgeable."

"She talks to _you_," Sirius said. "I don't know if she's knowledgeable or not. She doesn't tell _me_ anything."

"She doesn't have a problem with you; she would talk to you too," Remus said for what felt like the billionth time. "You just refuse because she talks to Regulus. And doesn't talk to James or Peter."

"She's bloody terrified of Wormy," Sirius exclaimed as though it were an atrocity. Peter squirmed in his seat. "The only person in the whole damn world intimidated by him, isn't she? If it didn't make me so damn angry it'd be bloody hilarious."

"Yea, what makes you so special Remus? Why does she talk to you?" James asked, running his hands through his hair. Lily pushed it forward without looking up from her book and James rebelliously ran his hand through it again. She shook her head and kept reading.

"She's comfortable around me," Remus replied simply.

"Comfortable," James growled. "She was certainly comfortable with me when she got here," he said bitterly and then looked over at Lily apologetically but she wasn't looking, nor did she seem to even have heard him. "And what's not comfortable about me?" he went on. "I've done nothing to her. And nor has Lily, now that I think about it. Unless she's bloody upset Lily saved her life. Didn't even thank her I don't think."

"She did thank me," Lily mentioned but kept her head down and said nothing else. She was still feeling guilty for making Ginny cry, even at Remus' insistence that it wasn't her fault.

"She's a bit too comfortable with Regulus for my taste," Sirius mumbled.

They all looked over at the Slytherin table where Regulus sat quite alone. He looked exactly as Sirius did, with his head in his hand, slouching indifferently.

"Where is she anyways?"

* * *

Ginny didn't speak to Remus for a long time after Saturday's events. In fact, she'd taken to walking around using the Invisibility Cloak so that no one would bother her. It helped her hide her own shame. She knew it was desperate means and it was pathetic but she needed to get her head secure on her shoulders before she did anything rash. Being invisible seemed to help her a bit. No questions, no secrets, and a shoulder-load of worries that she bore alone. But she knew she couldn't avoid him much longer. It was a lot harder to avoid yet another person and on top of that someone who knew so much about her and her past. Still, if she could've chosen she'd leave Hogwarts altogether and search for the horcruxes alone. But she hadn't given herself that option; she'd already told Remus a great deal and there was no going back from that. She didn't know memory spells well enough to be confident that she could obliviate him satisfactorily. And besides, everyone knew she was friends with him – they'd know he'd lost his memory. Or something had changed. Either way they would know it had to do with her.

"I don't know what happened with you and Remus but you have to fix something there." Even Regulus knew something was wrong and he wasn't even concerned with what. Just that it needed changing. "Anyways, are you going to talk to James or not? Because there are only a few days left until break…"

Ginny groaned at the thought of it but knew for Regulus' sake what she'd been dreading would have to take place wickedly soon.

"I'll start tonight."

* * *

"Hey Lily…"

Lily looked up from her parchment. She was in the middle of her potions essay, due when they returned from break and she wanted to get it done with. James was to meet her parents over the break and she wanted nothing to distract her from the next two weeks so she was working into the evening to get her winter work completed. With annoyance in her head but kindness always in her eyes, she saw Ginny Weasley standing beside her table hugging a very large book to her chest.

"Hi Ginny. Look, I'm really sorry about – "

"It's ok, it's not your fault. Thank you for trying. I was wondering if… you don't have to but can you do me a favor?"

Curiosity building more than anything else, Lily nodded. What on earth could this girl, who had spent her months here eagerly ignoring Lily's existence, possibly ask her to do?

"May I sit?" Lily motioned to the chair across from her and Ginny placed the book on the table between them. She leaned forward very closely, almost uncomfortably closely. Lily tried not to lean backwards. "Let me see your eyes."

For a long while, Ginny and Lily sat silently, Ginny staring sadly into Lily's eyes and Lily consciously trying not to blink very often. Ginny finally closed her eyes, and Lily thought she seemed to be having some kind of internal battle. She wished she could help but that didn't go so well last time.

"Your eyes," Ginny began opening her own and leaning back in her chair, "are precisely the eyes of my boyfriend's. He died along with my family."

Lily tried not to show her shock. But at least she understood Ginny's coldness now. It must be so painful to be constantly reminded of him… Lily couldn't imagine losing James and then seeing him everywhere she went for months. Her heart would never heal.

"I'm…well I suppose you don't want to hear that I'm sorry. I'm sure you've heard it quite enough," Lily said smartly. Ginny shook her head.

"No. Only you and Remus know."

And Lily recognized immediately the vulnerability in a little girl who was forced to grow up too soon reveal herself through Ginny's attempted façade and Lily could do nothing but come around the table and embrace her with the warmest hug she could give and Ginny likewise held onto her. She did not cry.

"I'm sorry Ginny. If it means anything, I want to help whatever it is that makes you so important. I…was awake…I was awake when you were speaking to Professor Dumbledore in the Hospital Wing. He says you're important and I can only assume to winning the war."

Ginny nodded. "I'm not quite that important. You are a great deal more important than I." She pushed over the book she'd been holding. Lily read the title and edition and looked questioningly to Ginny. "I think you'll understand better if you research it. Read the last few units. You'll come to great shock. And many questions."

* * *

In the library, James was searching for a book for Lily. She had just finished her last was scouring the books in his dorm for something new to read but naturally his bookshelf was filled with Chocolate Frog wrappers, pictures of muggle girls in bikinis courtesy of Sirius, and dusty editions of _A History of Magic_.

"Hey, uh Potter…" Someone said behind him.

"James, call him James." A female voice whispered.

James turned to find one thing he had expected the least. "Regulus?" he said. "What do you want?" Out of habit, James said this harsher than he had intended and Regulus flinched.

"Sorry, uh, nevermi-"

"No Regulus, ask him," Ginny prodded, standing behind him. "I knew I'd have to babysit you," she said with annoyance but she smiled nevertheless. "If you want something you have to ask for it." She literally pushed him towards James.

"He's going to say no," he objected.

"You don't know that. He might and that's well up to him to make that decision. He might say yes. But the answer will definitely be no if you never ask."

Regulus shrugged but nodded too. He took a big breath. "James…Can I stay with you…and Sirius for the holiday?"

No other question would've shocked James more. He looked back and forth from Ginny to Regulus, not quite sure what to make of the whole deal. She was beaming. He fidgeted, looking terrified. But for some reason, regardless of the fact that she'd treated him like a leper for the past three months, James felt some sort of trust in Ginny. He couldn't understand why exactly. Lily would've said it was because she was a good person, a Gryffindor. He didn't know if that was true or not but he trusted her.

"Can my parents trust you?" James finally asked. Maybe Ginny had changed Regulus.

He nodded.

"Can I trust you?"

He nodded once more. "Are you going to ask me if Sirius can trust me?" he asked nervously.

"No," James answered. "I don't care if he trusts you. It's my house. He doesn't have to live in it if he doesn't want to. You are welcome long as my parents and I can trust you. As long as you're on the right side," he added pointedly.

"I am on the right side."

"Your family isn't welcome. No Death Eater pals…"

"My only family is Sirius. And you…if you permit. And well Ginny."

Ginny grinned even wider now. She gave something to Regulus.

"Thanks," he said happily. He lifted a pin to James' face. _Blood-traitor and proud_ it read. It flickered from that to _Death Eaters suck. _"Isn't it awesome? Ginny made them. She's going to pass them out on Christmas."

James' jaw fell.

"Do you want one?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh, sure…" James said.

"Hey Gin, thanks. Really. And James you too. I won't let either of you down. I'm going to my Common Room. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Definitely. Hey make sure you hide that really well. I don't want you getting mauled or anything."

The two of them hugged. Regulus left with a bright spring in his step.

"Do you want to walk together to the Common Room?" Ginny asked. This question shocked James even more if it was possible.

"Sure. I need to find Lily a book though."

"Don't worry about it. I've already given her one."

James glanced curiously at Ginny but shrugged. They started walking in the opposite direction of Regulus. At first they were awkwardly silent. James was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he had another roommate for the holiday and that said roommate had been flaunting a "Blood-traitor and proud" pin and that said roommate was Regulus Black.

"How? How did you do it? Regulus, I mean. I just don't understand."

"Did you know Voldemort was a half-blood?" Ginny asked randomly.

"Wh…What?" Ginny was just full of shocking questions. And she used You-Know-Who's name… Apparently this showed on his face.

"It's true. His father was a muggle. He lived in an orphanage until Dumbledore brought him to Hogwarts." Again they were silent. "James…Regulus was too close to joining. I couldn't let that happen. Voldemort kills for hobby. Regulus is good; he just hasn't been given the opportunity to show it. He knew nothing else until I helped him see straight. I don't judge Sirius, but he left without Regulus and he was so much younger. Sirius didn't know any better and Regulus was alone and he didn't know any better either. He's not the same, not as headstrong as Sirius. You can't leave him alone or he'll go back. Right now, he's discovered something more important to him and you have to help me make him hold on to it. Voldemort will kill him if he doesn't."

James wondered if the rumor that Ginny was a seer was true. But he understood.

"On a different note," Ginny continued without letting James answer, "I owe you an apology. I've treated you horribly and I'm so sorry." What was with this girl and surprises?

"I just didn't know why," James found himself saying. "I mean, when you popped out from the damn wall you were crying and then running at me and then…" James and Ginny both blushed. "I don't know, I guess it was like you already knew me. And then suddenly you stopped. Stopped hugging, stopped breathing. You passed out. And then after that you just ignored me. You ran away."

Ginny stopped walking.

"James the night I came to Hogwarts my entire family was murdered. And not just that, all of my friends. Every single person I knew. Voldemort and his Death Eaters had killed them all. Mum, dad, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Hagrid, Neville, Luna, Ron, Hermione…Harry. James I thought you were Harry. You look so, so alike. He was the last person I saw. He was my boyfriend. You are a daily reminder of what I lost. I resented it."

"I'm so sorry…I didn't – I can't even imagine."

"We knew too much about him. Secrets he thought were safe within his minions but indeed were not."

"That's how you know about him being a half-blood."

"Yes. Among other things."

"Remus said…Remus said you knew a lot. I guess he was right."

"I know a lot more then Remus has let on. I think we should talk."

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter." They turned to find Professor Dumbledore gliding up in his long blue robes and they greeted him accordingly. "Well done both of you," he complimented.

"Over what might I ask?" James inquired. "I don't believe myself to have ever been given a compliment by you sir and I'd like to know the occasion," James said, half-jokingly.

"Mr. Potter, just know I spend a good deal of time in the library and I have ways of making myself quite invisible. Young Mr. Black, I'm sure, is very grateful for your kindness and hospitality even despite his previous relationship with you and his older brother. Miss Weasley, would you mind accompanying me to my office. I have a few questions for you concerning that Invisibility Cloak you've been using to avoid your classmates."

James turned to Ginny and she turned bright red but nodded. "Should you trust me sir," she said with a glance at James whose disappointed face had already began its own way to the Common Room, "but I believe it would be very beneficial if we invited James to join us." The corner of Dumbledore's mouth dipped slightly but not enough for noticing any farther than Ginny's eyes could see.

"Really Ginny?" James asked.

"Yes. James has an Invisibility Cloak very similar to mine. He might be interested in hearing what I've got to say about it."

Dumbledore agreed and they left for his office. They walked without speaking the entire way there. It was just after dinner, it was dark and most students were weary of school and excited to go home for the holidays. As they passed, many students looked on, wondering why the infamous James Potter was following behind the Headmaster and the outspoken Ginny Weasley. That he was with Professor Dumbledore was of no significance. The question to that was what he and Sirius had done to get him there. However, being with Ginny was peculiar; everyone in the school knew she avoided him.

"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said when they were finally situated in his office, each with a cup of hot tea. "Do you have your cloak with you?"

"I do sir. However it is not necessarily mine. It came into my possession purely by circumstance." She though it belonged to Harry. But after a few seconds thought, she changed her mind. She'd come to this evaluation of her situation before she'd spoken to Lily or James and come to the conclusion that Harry was gone. Everyone was gone. She lived in year 1977 and that was the end of it. "It is mine," she corrected herself, "however, it came to my possession in a way it should not have." Dumbledore said that he understood. Ginny took it from her bag and laid it over her lap, which accordingly disappeared. James' eyes went wide with shock and agitation.

"Mr. Potter, you look surprised. You're parents are wizards are they not? Surely you are familiar with the qualities of an invisibility cloak." Dumbledore folded his hands together on his desk.

"I am, yes. But Ginny's looks just like mine. I've never seen another cloak made of the same material or anything."

Dumbledore looked pointedly at Ginny. "Do you have an explanation for this Miss Weasley?" Ginny suspected he was truly curious but could not explain his interest in her cloak.

"I do. This particular cloak was once under the sole ownership of James Potter," she declared diplomatically.

James stood, pushing his seat backward. "That's my cloak!" he exclaimed with an rational yet angry look on his face.

"It was. This particular cloak is not anymore. It was given to me by someone that will be very dear to the both of us."

"Your tenses in that sentence make absolutely no sense to him," Dumbledore said with an essence of warning in his tone.

"I'm going to murder Remus," James said, now very irrational. He put his nose right up against Ginny's forehead and stared down his nose at her threateningly. Ginny stood still. Dumbledore remained calm.

"You are assuming incorrectly. Remus didn't give this me. I promise that if you go upstairs to your room you will find your cloak safely wherever it is that you left it last, unless of course one of your friends has it; then it will most likely still be in their possession. This cloak is twenty years older than yours."

"This cloak is hundreds of years old. Yours cannot possibly be any older!"

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley is not from our time," Dumbledore said, intervening as a Headmaster ought to. "She is from twenty years in the future and I believe she is implying that your cloak and her cloak are just the same." Ginny pulled from under shirt robes the time turner she still wore around her neck.

James nodded his head insanely. He gazed at Dumbledore blankly. "Yes…yes, you're both barking mad. Even if she was from the future, at most it would be a day, a few hours. No one can travel back in time twenty years."

"I didn't think it was possible either, but I'm here. We can't travel that far in 1977, but who's to say it isn't invented in twenty years?" James was silent.

"I still don't know how you got that cloak. In twenty years I'll have given it to my son or daughter and they'll have begun starting a family to pass it down to. It's been in my family for centuries, since Ignotus Peverell."

Ginny took a large breath, attempting to calm herself for this moment. It was much easier, she felt, to tell Remus, who was only slightly involved and to give Lily a book and a letter than to tell James Potter. He looked so much like Harry. She closed her eyes. "You did pass it down to your son and he gave it to me and sent me back in time because we lost the war. He looks just like you, the hair the gestures, the glasses, all but the eyes which are emerald green just like Lily's." Though looking stunned, he remained unmoved. "Do you have the Marauder's Map with you?"

If he looked upset before he looked terrified now. His hand moved instinctively to his back pocket, where he felt the familiar crunchy parchment, verifying that he still had it. He said nothing. Ginny reached into her bag again and pulled out an older, softer, worn version of his map. His jaw dropped.

"Open it," she prompted. He shook his head, very aware of Professor Dumbledore watching them curiously. "Don't play stupid because him, he won't mind. He's going to think it's clever. Oh never mind, _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

"Catchy," Dumbledore commented.

"Thank you," James said absent-mindedly.

"Do you believe me now?" Ginny asked as Dumbledore inspected the map with amusement.

"So you're from the future…You-Know-Who…"

"Voldemort."

James caught his breath at his name but continued. "Him…he killed your family in the future?

Ginny nodded.

"He kills Lily and I?"

Ginny couldn't believe how quick he was to come to this conclusion. But she nodded again.

* * *

James followed behind Ginny through the porthole. Once inside she pushed silently passed Lily who advanced quickly with questions but Ginny disappeared upstairs. She looked terrified, her eyes darting back from James and to the door Ginny had just stepped through.

All James could do was stare blankly at Lily, hold her hands when she grabbed them desperately, and drag her over to the fireplace to sit beside her. Surely he knew he looked just as shocked as she did. He was speechless. Knowing you're going to die in nearly four years was never a comforting thing to learn. Knowing that your future is slight, scarred with war and secrets was something that caught in one's brain and fed on the emotions of that person like a Dementor.

Lily was trembling in James' arms, oblivious to anything else in the room. They sat there together for a long while, not saying anything at all. Lily was thinking over and over and over of the side note Ginny had written in the margin of the final page of _A History of Magic_: "This is my past, not your future." James was slowly realizing that he wasn't afraid or angry. He didn't know quite what he felt. It certainly wasn't happiness.

"We name him Harry," Lily whispered with awe, and James knew he'd always love the girl who could speak his feelings perfectly.

* * *

**So, hopefully after this chapter you're not as mad at me as before. **


	10. So it goes

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, and President spy for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I, said fanatical author of the fiction piece below, do not own that characters that preside in said fiction piece.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Ten: So it goes…

On the train, Peter felt like he was going to explode. He wasn't one to talk very often but that was only because James and Sirius had always been the voluble ones. Now though, in this cramped compartment there was only silence. He felt as though he should make some kind of noise and about twenty minutes into their journey made a squeaking sound instead of actually speaking and decided to give this up. Sitting across from Peter was the beautiful Lily. She had her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap. Normally, Peter imagined she'd be reading a book or else nosing around and commenting on James' and Sirius' pranks. However, she stayed quiet and thoughtful.

Beside Lily was her boyfriend, also abnormally quiet. He had his Head Boy badge half pinned half hanging on his lapel and his hair, though usually messed, looked as though he hadn't truly attempted to push it down that morning at all. He looked tired too – he had dark circles under his eyes.

Sitting by the window on the same bench was Remus, farthest from Peter. He had a few scratches on his face and looked just as worn as usual. Nothing truly had changed but his inexplicable cautious demeanor towards the couple sitting beside him and his slight, every once and a while comment to the boy sitting across from him.

Regulus Black. The Slytherin had changed clothes almost immediately upon leaving the station and was dressed in muggle jeans and a dark red sweater that Peter recognized as belonging to Remus. It was easy to see their attempt to warm Sirius, who sat between Peter and his estranged brother, to Regulus by removing his Slytherin robes and replacing them with pro-muggle Gryffindor colored clothing. It didn't seem to be working however. Regulus was reading a book, keeping his nose out of Sirius' business as best he could and Sirius sat slouched with his arms crossed over his chest.

To relieve the pressure in the room Peter announced he was going to the bathroom and accordingly left the compartment and headed in that direction.

This is all Weasley's fault, he thought to himself. All this awkwardness and silence was too much for Peter to handle. At least she could've come back on the train to help them all deal with it. Selfish, he thought.

As soon as he thought of the girl, she was out of his head and he was imagining himself, naturally while sitting over the toilet (where he did his best imagining), as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. He imagined himself an extrovert, wildly popular, and handsome. He was still reminiscing about his greatest imaginary achievements on his walk back to the compartment. And what he found was just what he had left, except that Sirius had taken Peter's seat, separating himself from his brother. Without making controversy, Peter sat in between them.

Moments later, James was clearly becoming agitated in the silence. He started tapping his foot, rummaging randomly through his stuff, and looking around the compartment, even though there was very little to be seen.

"I'm going to do my rounds," James finally declared with all of the authority of a Head Boy. He stood.

"But you don't have to do rounds until nightfall," Peter said and James glared t him for a moment or two and stalked out of the compartment.

Immediately, Lily turned to Remus. "Do you think he's upset? He's so quiet, it's unnatural."

"Not now," Remus whispered to her and she nodded shyly.

Regulus and Sirius looked up at this though. Was James upset because Regulus had asked him if he could stay at Potter Manor for the holidays? Remus shook his head as a message to Regulus and he resumed reading. Sirius however, sat up straighter.

"Is there something going on between you and James? Nothing's wrong right?" Sirius said earnestly. Peter hadn't even thought of the fact that there might be problems in their relationship. It gave him little hope though.

"Oh, we're fine, Sirius. It's just been a tough week," she justified in a tired voice.

"Tell me about it," Sirius muttered in reply.

"It's not because of Regulus, would you stop? You should be grateful."

"If it's not about _him_ then what is it about?" Sirius asked reproachfully.

Here Remus intervened. "Sirius, let them keep some privacy in the workings of their relationship. We don't need to know all of the details they hold secret to the two of them. That's the point of a relationship."

Sirius frowned but didn't pursue the subject. Peter was glad he wasn't staying at Potter Manor over the break – he imagined it was going to be a very long and arduous two weeks.

* * *

Ginny was grateful that she was not on the train going home for Christmas. It gave her a lot more time to mull things over in her head, by herself, and lot more time for Lily and James to do the same. She hoped that they wouldn't mention anything to Regulus, Sirius, and especially Peter but she couldn't be sure and she was preparing herself for their return if they had told her secret. "Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" she'd shouted at Harry before they'd left for the Department of Mysteries. What if Sirius had known beforehand that that was the way he was going to die? Would he have already warned Harry not to go? Or would he have accepted it? And Peter…what if he knew? Would it instill some sort of courage in him? To die rather than to betray his best friends. Or would he still be an utter coward? And Regulus, if he knew, he'd be miserable.

She was also in a lot of thought about her conversation with James. Something had stuck out to her, a comment he'd made somewhere in the beginning of it all but she couldn't remember what. Over and over did she rehash her conversation with James and come up with absolutely nothing. It bothered her endlessly, even while she sat at a remotely empty Gryffindor table at Christmas she thought about it. She wished Dumbledore would teach her to draw memories. She remembered that Dumbledore himself had been present for the conversation but didn't feel it right to ask him to see his memory.

She then realized, thinking of the time she'd arrived, that her birthday would no longer be her birthday. She had left the future on May second, nearly the change between spring and summer. She calculated how much time she had left until her birthday and added that to the day she arrived, October second. Her new birthday was to be January 11th. It was an odd thing, first thinking that her birthday was about half a year difference from her original one. But also that in a very short time she would be officially seventeen. She wouldn't get the rewards of a seventeen year old – she'd already gotten free of the Trace when she'd gotten here and she didn't have any family to celebrate with. She remembered the scuffed old pocket watch her parents had given Harry when he turned seventeen. The party they threw right before the wedding and then…

But she reminded herself that none of that had happened yet. She'd been sure to remind Lily of that too. It couldn't be ignored but for damn sure she knew it was not to be depended on.

Ginny spent much of her time with Alice Prewett, actually a distant cousin of hers somehow (though she did not mention it) during the break. The rest of their roommates had left for the holiday and Ginny had politely apologized for the Hogsmeade weekend and they became fast friends.

She found that Neville was not like his mother at all. She figured that from a lifetime of living with his paternal grandmother, he had adopted his shy personality. It was known that his grandmother was a bit overbearing on Neville when it came to the success of his parents and his own success in comparison. Towards the end though Ginny believed his true nature, the one that she and Luna had aided in blooming, was grounded in his mother. Alice was less outgoing but incredibly courageous. Alice spoke what she felt in nothing but a heart-warming demeanor and was clearly one to fight for what she believed in. Ginny admired her.

Ginny vowed that this change would not change her as a person. She was known to be vivacious, outspoken, witty, clever, and brave beyond measure. And she was determined to redeem it again.

* * *

Lily was folding her clothes and placing them in her drawers. The train had been the worst it'd ever been. Ironically enough, the last train ride had been the best it'd ever been. But she was finally glad to be alone. James had met her parents on the platform but was only attempting to be in good spirits. Clearly, he had not yet come to realize what Ginny had stressed: that the future she told them about was just her past, not necessarily their future. Of course her parents, acute as ever, recognized that he was not acting as Lily described in all of her letters home to them.

"Lily darling, he's a bit less extravagant than you made it seem like," her father said disappointedly on the car ride home. "I figured he would be much more eager to meet us."

"He was daddy, it's just been a very interesting week," was what she replied, just how she'd said it to Sirius hours earlier.

"I think he was wonderful," her mother mediated from the front passenger seat. "He was probably nervous, John. You can't blame him for that. It shows reverence."

Her father coughed. "Reverence. Of course, Daisy you must be correct."

Lily was embarrassed, little to her parents' knowledge. It was not the way she planned. James was too preoccupied in his thoughts and much more introverted than usual. She suggested that they meet at a different time but James had insisted and had perfectly ruined it. But her parents' positive outlook meant much more to them than it did to Lily. She didn't want a forced positive outlook. She wanted them to love him.

Her mother knocked on the door twice before letting herself in. "Are you almost done Lily? I've got dinner just about on the table."

"Of course mum, just give me a moment to finish folding."

Daisy sat beside her on her bed. "He really is a nice boy. I'm sure he was just nervous."

"No, it wasn't that. He wouldn't have been nervous. He was excited for it. But he just got some quite shocking news a few days ago and it's really gotten on his mind."

"It's on your mind as well isn't it? Do you want to talk about it?"

Lily shook her head. "I'm ok. I'm sure he will be too."

Daisy pulled Lily into a soft hug and rubbed her arms to warm them. "Boys aren't quite as mature as girls and it takes them more time to adjust to changes, whatever they may be. Just give him a little more time."

"Thanks mum."

Daisy stood and went to the door but before she left, Lily called her back. "Is Tuney coming around?"

Daisy shook her head sadly. She decided to stay at university for the holiday. I'll send your love in a letter though?" Daisy knew full well that Petunia didn't read her sister's letters. Mostly because they were sent by owl. Lily nodded.

Lily wondered what Ginny was doing right now. Perhaps she was laughing at Lily and James right now after this wonderfully well done prank. But Lily didn't believe it. She trusted Dumbledore and she trusted Ginny and that was the end of it. And with that, she headed down stairs; dinner for three.

* * *

Sirius had locked himself in his room when they'd arrived home from King's Cross Station. That's what Potter Manor had become to Sirius – home. The Potters were his parents and James was his brother and that was the end of it.

When Sirius had first arrived at the vast estate he had told them that he didn't want to be a bother and that he would be fine sharing a room with James, or even in a cupboard he suggested jokingly; it did not matter to him, he insisted. But of course they persisted in saying (as they personally unpacked his things into the room beside James') that they had just about plenty of room and empty rooms they were eager to fill and it was no bother at all and they were happy to have him.

He listened as they did the same for Regulus in the room across the hall.

"Hey, you want to let me in?" James was standing outside his door.

"No. This is your fault."

"How is this a fault?"

"It's your fault that you believe his crap."

"It's not crap."

"How do you know?"

"I just do. Why don't you trust me?"

"I trust you. I don't trust him."

"Well, start trusting him," James said angrily. "Because you're going to have to live with him." There was a slight pause. "And please don't continue to make my parents feel awkward or bad for letting him stay here. He's grateful. And alive."

Sirius crossed his arms of his chest and pouted for a good five minutes before he stood up and walked out into the hallway. He followed the narrow scarlet rug down to his brother's room and found him standing the corner awkwardly while Mrs. Potter remade his bed and Mr. Potter shoved his now empty trunk in the back of his closet.

"May I talk to my brother alone?"

Mr. and Mrs. Potter left them alone.

"What are you doing here?"

Regulus shrunk farther into the corner. "I don't have anywhere else to go. By now, mum and dad know I've left Hogwarts. Bellatrix, for some God-awful reason was on the platform. She's probably told them she saw me with you and I told them I was staying at Hogwarts. I'd bet a bunch of Galleons that mum's already blasted me off the tapestry now."

"Mum blasted me off the tapestry?"

"Uncle Alphard too."

It just disgusted him more and more. Uncle Alphard was his favorite family member and not just because last summer he'd sropped a hot wad of galleons in his pocket on the Potter's trip into London. Alphard was spritely old wizard who didn't really care what was in someone's blood. He cared more about and ugly face which wasn't saying much because he noted every moment that he wasn't all that good-looking, with of course a spirited chuckled and a slap on the back. At family gatherings, Sirius always found a place next to the old man.

Walburga Black, the bitch, blasted off her sons and her brother for being good people. For trying to achieve what they believed in. Merlin, if that's what that family came down to, blood purity and family pride, he was glad to have been blasted off the tapestry. It wasn't worth it one little bit. With all the love and care he got from the Potters he was perfectly happy to forget that his last name was Black altogether. If he could change it, he would.

"Sirius, I'm not here to take away anything you've got. I'm jealous, but not spiteful. I just sort of want to get in on all this…happiness you've been getting."

Sirius looked at his brother (not condescendingly) for the first time in many years. He realized how tall his brother was, even taller than him just about. His hair was long, to his shoulders and for the first time it was left unkempt and not pulled back like a proper Slytherin's would be. He was in a scarlet sweater and slouchy jeans. He looked like a Gryffindor.

"You want dinner? Mrs. Potter's cooking is outstanding. She's got a house-elf, but get this – she doesn't make her cook!"

Regulus looked shocked and appalled, the reaction deserved of one who lived the Black household for so long.

"So tell me, how is the new Mrs. Lestrange, my favorite cousin getting along? Pretty as ever I suppose?" He threw and arm over his brother's shoulders as they went down the hall to the kitchen.

* * *

Remus couldn't help but think, as he sat down to dinner in his quiet home…why was Bellatrix Lestrange at King's Cross Station?

* * *

**Hey so, I have midterms coming up. Know what that means? Delayed entries, just like this one! :/ Sorry guys. But at least you'll expect it now. Anyways, I'll do my best to post asap. Reviews are as lovely as roses but much more satisfying.**


	11. Letters Over Christmas

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, and BlackGryphon101 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I want to say that I'm sorry for the last chapter. Even to me it was disappointing but I was desperate to post. Next time I'll just wait until I've got something worth posting. Hope you're having a sweel week so far. I've got exams all week. Fun!

I don't own Harry Potter and I have no interesting way of saying it today.

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Letters Over Christmas

Dear Ginny,

I hope you're doing well at Hogwarts. It must be so empty with most of us gone for the holidays. It's empty at my house as well. It seems like it at least. My sister decided to stay away at University for the holiday. She doesn't like me anymore, I'm afraid. Ever since I was eleven and got my Hogwarts letter she's never truly forgiven me. For being a witch, that is. I'm a muggle-born. But I presume, if you're anything like me (which I don't know if you are) that you'll be using the peace and quiet to think clearly. I have trouble often with James and Sirius always around to think clearly. It's most times a relief to be away for a couple weeks, but never longer than that. I don't think Sirius could stand that, and forget about James. I'm glad though that you've ultimately found a devoted friend in Remus. He won't ever let you down. I spend time with him studying and talking about things that won't fully be comprehended by the former two. He's brilliant. They're all talented of course, but Remus just really knows what he's doing, all of the time.

I know you don't wish to be spending your Christmas answering my questions and if you don't want to, surely you don't have to. But I did not overlook the magical removal of some information regarding the last few chapters here and there. I didn't remove the enchantments; I figure it was done for a purpose and I respect that, especially with consideration for the information it details. So I will keep my questions simple.

I conjecture that you did not know James and me personally, granted we died before or just around your own birth. But I wonder if you knew Sirius and Remus and anyone else from school. A History of Magic says there was a group called the Order of the Phoenix, and that we were a part of it. What was that like? Harry was only one when we died…who took care of him? It only says Muggle relations, so it must be someone in my own family, as James is a pureblood. What did he look like? Was he brave? Kind? Egotistical? Don't think I assume only the best for my son; his father is the most egotistical man I've ever met.

Also, Alice Prewett is a great friend. She's brilliant and someone I trust. Confiding in her is unnecessary but befriending her would give her a very warm Christmas holiday. She's still at Hogwarts too. I do hope you're having a nice relaxing break.

Love,

Lily

* * *

Dear Ginny,

First and foremost I want to warn you. Bellatrix Lestrange was at King's Cross Station lurking around for no good reason. It's true she was recently married but she has no kids at Hogwarts, only cousins, who don't like her very much at all. I know what you're going to say to me: warn Regulus and Sirius. She doesn't even know I exist there's no reason to worry over me, I'm with Dumbledore. But she does know about you, I'm sure. There are a few students at our school that correspond with her and your supposed knowledge of the Death Eater roster has without a doubt been spread. Please be careful. I know you'd rather be alone but please, be in the sight of someone, a teacher, a Gryffindor, someone that has a chance of defense. Protect yourself, if not for you than for me, and Lily and James.

When we all get back, we'll begin looking for the Horcrux in Hogwarts. We might even be able to stop the second war from happening if we get them all before Harry is born. They did it in a year; we can do it in four, especially with as much knowledge as we have with you. We have so many resources.

Sincerely,

Remus

* * *

Dear Lily,

The serenity in the castle is refreshing but at the same time, I feel anxious to get things done. And I feel as though without everyone here, I can't really begin doing anything. It is quiet. I'm not used to it. My family was really big. I had six older brothers and my house was always full with people coming and going at Christmastime. It's a change that makes me slightly uncomfortable but Alice's company and talking to Professor McGonagall every now and then keeps me occupied. Dumbledore isn't around even though I wish I could talk to him. Harry used to be so frustrated when Dumbledore would just disappear. Now I know how he feels.

On a rather important note, I am happy to answer all of your questions. I plan to be nothing but absolutely honest with you, of what I know. However, I'm going to warn you, as I will Remus, that what we write here can be intercepted. You should be very cautious in the wording of your questions. If they make sense to no one at all but the two of us, than that's fine. But it's very dangerous to write openly in times like these. And of course, there is a lot more for us to discuss. There's more than just what was written in the history book. Things that happened later.

Harry was as kind as you. Looked precisely like James; not a detail difference but for his green eyes. I thought James was Harry when I came here. He was gifted really. He was always determined to do his best and always stood up for his friends. He was amazingly brave – he fought for what he believed in. He was an average student but a great wizard. Magic came naturally to him. He loved Defense and hated Divination. He and my brother had to make dream diaries for the class and they just made up a bunch of rubbish to get by. He was a brilliant flyer too. James will be glad to learn that Harry became the Gryffindor Seeker in his first year, the youngest Hogwarts Quidditch player in a century. At times, he had a temper and other times he would become very quiet. He was not one to share his feelings very often but he had a lot to confide. There was always so much surrounding his life that I'm sure he felt very alone in his endeavors to live up to what people expected of him. He was brought up in your sister's home. You're right, she doesn't truly ever forgive you and I'm sorry. Harry grew up in the cupboard beneath her stairwell, wearing her own son's hand-me-downs. She and her husband told him for years that his parents had died in a car accident. They tried concealing the truth in the hope that he would not be a wizard. But of course, you and I know things don't work that way. He found his way to Hogwarts to find the truth about his parents and about his own fame. I grew up learning about him. In my little girl eyes he was a celebrity. I could hardly talk to him for years out of fright and admiration. But he was just a baby when everything happened. I knew more about him than he did.

I knew Remus and Sirius. Sirius has a very long story, but he quickly became a family friend. He was an incredible wizard, funny, but somewhat more humble when I knew him. In my second year, Remus was Professor Lupin to me. He was our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for that year. By the end of the year though, Snape had told a few parents he was what he was and he resigned. Remus too became a family friend. I can't imagine the Burrow in the last few years without either of them. I'd met Alice and Frank but for a very brief moment and it was a sad one to say the least. Snape was my Potions master for four years and was so for many years before that. In my fifth year he became our Defense professor and he was gone by the next year. But don't you worry about him Lily. He isn't now, but he becomes better than you think of him now.

Best,

Ginny

* * *

Dear Ginny,

Harry sounds wonderful. It seems like fiction to me now but it's just the perfect combination of James and me that I can hardly think of not believing you. Are you ever going to tell Sirius his long story? I guess I'm just curious myself. And Remus was your Defense teacher? That's wonderful. No doubt the best year of your Defense learning. It makes sense though. Dumbledore is the only one who's given him the benefit of the doubt. It's hard for wizards and witches to see past the full moon. And how many Defense Instructors did you have? We've had a different one every year. Did you too?

What do you mean about Snape? Did he really expose Remus? He's a bastard, Ginny. And him, a Defense instructor? Hardly, but I can imagine him as a Potions teacher. He'd just teach Dark Magic if he got the chance. I wouldn't trust him if I were you.

Love,

Lily

* * *

Dear Regulus,

Just forewarning: if you hadn't noticed before, your older cousin Lestrange was on the platform when we got off the train. I don't know what she was doing there but guard yourself carefully. Share this with your brother and James and possibly fortify Potter Manor, just in case.

Best,

Remus

* * *

Dear James,

How are you? You were very quiet when we left King's Cross Station. I hope you're not over thinking everything that's happened. Because really, nothing has happened yet. We can change it. That's why Ginny is here. We need to trust her. It's not just about us you know. It's about You-Know-Who and getting rid of him once and for all.

I've been writing to Ginny too. She says we have to be careful about what we write because owls can be intercepted. She told me that she had more to tell me. I wonder how much she told you because you seem much more shocked than I am. But don't tell me. I'm sure Ginny will when we get back to school.

Petunia decided not to come home for Christmas. She quite hates me now, I think. But at least Regulus and Sirius are together. How is Regulus doing? Has Sirius gotten along well with him? And what do your parents think of him? I'm glad that you agreed to let him stay with you. I think in the end Sirius will be grateful to have his brother back.

Tell your parents I wish them a Merry Christmas. I love you.

Lily

* * *

Dear Remus,

Thank you for your warning. But don't you ever write a letter like that to me again. I burned it. That letter has way too much information to be stolen! Owls can be intercepted just as thoughts can and it's much easier to kill an owl and read its letter than perform undetectable Legilimency. You must guard what you write. We will get down to everything when you all come back.

Importantly though, how's your break been so far?

Sincerely,

Ginny

* * *

Dear Ginny,

Sorry about that last letter. I didn't even realize. My break has been pleasant enough. I've been thinking a lot about everything…you know. I'm sure you've been doing the same. I'm having trouble looking for a job for after school. I'm afraid Dumbledore's generosity will only go so far as Hogwarts. Not many people want someone with my affliction as an employee. My parents won't be able to support me forever I'm afraid. But I'll be able to go with you wherever it is you go after school. Help you look for things. Happy Christmas Ginny.

Remus

* * *

Dear Regulus,

How is Hogwarts during the holidays? Quite empty I expect. Well I hope you have a nice Christmas. I've attached a few galleons as an early present for you, sweetheart.

Love,

Mum

* * *

Dear Ginny,

My mum sent me a letter. She wrote it as though I was still staying at Hogwarts. But unless Garbor (our owl) knew I was at Potter Manor, she sent it here. She knows I'm here and she's trying to persuade me to come back home with a few Christmas galleons. It really is rather ridiculous. Should I write back to her?

How's your break going? Sirius, I think, has finally accepted me. He's been great. Being with him now reminds me of how much I missed him. Thank you for helping me get this far. I miss you. See you soon though ok?

Love,

Regulus

* * *

Dear Lily,

Break going well? Hope so. I was actually wondering, you know, from a girl's point of view, what Ginny might like for Christmas. She's got no family and she's not expecting any presents and I want to surprise her. I thought maybe a necklace or something but it seems so trivial in comparison to everything else. Maybe a Sneakoscope? I really, and obviously, need your help.

Best,

Remus

* * *

Dear Remus,

A Sneakoscope is actually a good idea. But you're right a necklace isn't something she needs right now. I've talked to my parents about her situation (they hardly know anything about magic anyways) and they've agreed to buy some things for her. Clothes and such. Maybe you can get her something she needs now like quills and a cauldron. I don't think sentiments are what she is looking for. I think whatever you get her she'll be happy with. Don't worry too much over it.

Lily

* * *

Dear Lily,

Regulus and Remus are getting along great. My parents like him as well. I do believe that I've been told a great deal more than you have. But the rest will wait, like you said. I'm sorry about your sister, I know how much that hurts. Hopefully though, Ginny's wrong and she does change. Just one more thing we can hope for I guess. I love you.

James

* * *

Dear James,

I don't mean to be a bother, and you might be very busy and preoccupied but your last letter was rather short in comparison to the ones you wrote me over the summer break. Maybe it's nothing. My anxiousness is probably just stemming from Ginny's lack of response. She's using the school owls and they're terrible. Not all of them are the brightest. I feel bad for her. She has no one this Christmas – we all left to go home. Anyways, Happy Christmas. I love you.

Lily

* * *

Dear Lily,

I don't mean to write short. I'm just trying to get everything properly inside my head. Apologize to your parents for me. I promise next time I see them I will be myself. Happy Christmas Lily. I hope you like your gift.

Love you,

James

* * *

Dear Lily,

Snape is a bastard. But not all bastards have completely intolerable dispositions. He became Headmaster the next year, after he was our Defense instructor. Our new instructor did only teach Dark Magic, and believe me, there's a far difference. He hasn't yet, but he changes. One day it is him Harry will unknowingly depend on. His presence makes a world of difference in the outcome of the war. He's not a good person over all. In fact, if it weren't for just a few things, he'd be completely terrible. He treated Harry like garbage through all of his life, regardless of his importance and it's naturally because of his hatred for James. Ultimately, his loyalty changes. I don't trust him now, but one day I will.

I did have a different teacher every year. In Harry's first year he had Professor Quirrel. He was possessed by Voldemort. My first year, Harry's second, we had Professor Lockhart. Arse. That's all there really is to say, he was a complete arse. Then Remus, and then Professor Alastor Moody. We called him Mad-Eye at home but he was actually a broken free prisoner of Azkaban taking poly-juice potion fueled by a kidnapped Alastor Moody. Then, the worst of the bunch, even worse than having Snape for Potions for five years…a hundred years…was Professor Dolores Umbridge. I'd rather whittle my own eyes out of their sockets with a rusty spoon before being her student again. We didn't do any magic in her class. Only theory. It was terrible for the fifth years – they had OWLs and weren't allowed to practice for their practicals. She was sent by the Ministry. Then Snape. Then Amycus Carrow. He's a Death Eater.

A curse was cast on the position a long time ago. I don't think that until we've won it will ever be settled.

Anyways, Happy Christmas Lily. Spend it with your family, as much of your family that's willing at least. They won't be there forever.

Best,

Ginny

* * *

Dear Regulus,

Don't reply to her. It's unnecessary. The more distance you keep between you and your family the better. I know it's hard but I promise you will be better off. I'm glad you're getting along with Sirius. I believe it will make a big difference in your happiness. What do you think the reaction will be when you get back to school? By now, everyone knows you didn't stay at Hogwarts. Do you think being in the Slytherin Common Room is going to be harder? I hope it isn't. And have you given your brother the pin I gave you for him? Christmas is tomorrow and I'll be passing them out. Anyways, enjoy your Christmas. These owls are such a pain; it gives me headache to even use them. We only have a few days until break is over anyways. I'll see you then ok?

Always,

Ginny

* * *

Dear James,

How's Christmas been? Mine's been alright, nothing to really brag about. Are Regulus and Sirius getting along? Have they destroyed your house yet? I'll be surprised if they haven't. Just wanted to say hello.

Peter

* * *

**So that's that. It's a new format for this chapter, getting a little bit into the minds of each of them. I tried to keep the correspondence to those who would actually communicate with one another. it wouldn't make sense for Sirius to be writing letters at all. Do you really see him writing a letter over his Christmas break? Maybe an "I hope you die" letter to his parents, but even still. He's just too lazy during his break. Review and alert and alert and review.**


	12. Fiery

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, and viva gal for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**So, first things first. This update comes with a lot of good news. I know it's been a very long time since I've updated. Since I've updated, I've been very sick. Fortunately, I'm very healthy now! Along with the good news of good health, I've also gotten into college! I'm very blessed to be able to update today. **

I don't own Harry Potter and I never will. That's the bad news.

* * *

Chapter 12: Fiery

After the New Year had passed, Ginny anxiously waited for the return of her companions. She found it nearly impossible to focus on horcruxes with whatever James had said clogging her mind. She would have so much more to do when everyone was safely back at Hogwarts and she would have more people to help her with that. And she'd also been spending time with Alice over the holidays and it was with this spectacular witch that she walked the path from Hogwarts to the train station to meet their friends.

Alice bounced along cheerily; the cold air brought out a flattering rosy color to her complexion that was highlighted by her cropped chestnut hair. She was more petite than Ginny but had a rounder face and physique that she would pass onto her son. Ginny was surprised to learn that Alice was minutely interested in the politics of the wizarding world. She was a pureblood but said often that she couldn't see someone's blood without spilling it herself and she suggestively reminded Ginny that she fainted at the sight of blood, regardless of whether or not it was muggle or pureblood. She didn't see the difference between muggles and purebloods and didn't care to see a difference if there was one. Ginny didn't have any problem with this, of course. But she saw that Alice was passionate and free and that would fuel her opposition to oppression and fight for her friends. She loved her freedom to much to take it away from anyone; she wouldn't want anyone doing it to her, therefore she would defend on the battlefield. She twirled as they walked and lifted her tongue to the sky as small snowflakes melted before they even reached her face. It was almost too easy to forget that she would be tortured into insanity in just four short years.

They arrived at the station before the train did. Together, they sat on a nearby bench and waited.

"I love this weather. I always feel like I'm in a dream when it's snowing."

Ginny fidgeted with Remus' cloak, trying to make it fit tighter or miraculously become warmer. She wished she could put her jar of fire inside of it but instead of making herself look foolish, she held it in her lap with her fingers wrapped around it. "I love this weather too. Just, you know, when my fingers aren't turning blue.

Alice laughed. "I agree. And besides, blue doesn't always go well with red hair. In our fifth year, Lily got some blue robes. Maybe it was the color alone but not even James liked it very much, and that's hard to accomplish. But you have brown eyes instead of green don't you? I bet it's the green that didn't match right."

"Oh no, what's worse is pink. Looks absolutely terrible. Blue is tolerable but pink isn't even bearable."

"I think you just don't like pink," Alice said and they both laughed. It was a relief not to be obsessing over something so important. She was having a conversation about something as simple as colors. And it felt good.

Ten minutes later, students were unpacking from the train and Ginny and Alice stood up to help.

* * *

From the window, Remus could see Ginny was cold. She had a clever fire that she'd apparently placed magically into a portable jar but she was shivering nonetheless. He should've gotten her a coat, he scolded himself. Damn.

"I've already got it covered," Lily said behind him as if reading his mind. He looked at her with surprise as she gave James one of her trunks and he left down the aisle of the train. "What?" she asked when Remus looked surprised. "I've been studying a bit of Legilimency over the break."

"Have you now?" he asked, impressed. "Just over Christmas break?"

"No," she replied, lugging a huge over packed bag over her shoulder and grabbing onto her second trunk. "Summer break I perused through Flourish and Blotts. I thought it might be interesting. I'm not very good, I've only been practicing over the holidays. But I know you, so I took a guess."

"Lily Evans, you're incredible."

"Oi. You're not hitting on James' girl are you Moony?" Sirius sniggered, walking back into the compartment from the hall to grab his last bag.

"Ew Sirius!"

"Is it that bad if I actually were?" Remus asked indignantly.

"Oh, no," she said apologetically, "you should see what his filthy mind is thinking."

"Legilimency? Lily-flower, you never said you've been learning Legilimency. That gives you an unfair advantage! It's okay though, I won't tell James. It'll be great watching you win every argument and him squirming under your impossible knowledge."

"I'm not that good at it yet" she repeated. "Really, I just know the both of you so well. I can actually only get the feel of what you're thinking, not exactly what it is. And it doesn't always work. I've got to practice more."

The three of them got off the train and found Ginny and Alice with James, Regulus, Peter, and Frank. They were wishing Happy New Year to one another and commending Ginny for her smart jar of fire. Remus held the box in his hand steadily. He hoped she liked his gift.

Ginny and Lily hugged. Remus didn't know how often they'd corresponded over the break but Ginny responded warmly. Remus reached and they hugged too. Their release was awkward.

"Lily darling, I know you wanted to wait to give it to her but she's not carrying anything," James said juggling Lily's trunk, a cage with a dark screech owl Remus had never seen before, and his own trunk. "I love you, and you're brilliant but please, if you give it to her now, she'll be much more pleased than if I ask her to carry it back anyways."

"Fine then," Lily said, "I'll carry it to the carriage."

"There aren't any more. They've all been taken because you took so long to get off the train," Frank said.

Lily made a groaning sound but shrugged anyways. "Ginny, here. This is for you," she said, pushing toward her the trunk in her hand. Ginny looked absolutely shocked as she felt the handle in her own hand. "I figured you're about my size, so everything in it should fit, but if it doesn't just let me know and I'll charm it so that it does. There's everything you'll need; robes, Hogwarts and casual, pants, shoes, socks, shirts…more. I think I shoved in the coat last if you want to take it out, it should be right on top."

Ginny was quite speechless. "You got … this… for me?"

Lily nodded and went on earnestly, "Some of it was mine that I don't wear anymore and instead of giving it to someone else I thought you wouldn't mind. But most of it is new. I talked to my parents and they thought this would be justifiable for the holiday. They told me to tell you not to worry over anything, that they're happy to do it. I do think you should write them thank you though. It would really make them happy, I think. If you don't mind." Lily breathed. "I hope you like it all."

"And this is for you too," James said. He lifted the cage with the owl and it hooted happily. Ginny held her breath. Remus was sure she wasn't used to getting so lavish of gifts, especially all at the same time. He knew her family hadn't been exceptionally well off in Gringotts but did the best they could. An entire trunk of new clothes and an owl certainly wasn't something that happened every Christmas. "His name is Saben. Bloody brilliant bird, he is. Lily told me how frustrated she was with the school birds and since we'll be gone soon enough anyways, we'll need to correspond often. So my parents thought he would be nice."

"But…don't you need an owl?" Ginny asked, overwhelmed.

"I have one. Her name is Caterina. She's already at the Owlery. In fact, you should let him go. I'm pretty sure he knows the way. It'll make the cage much lighter."

Ginny did what she was told, but still gaped at James. "Don't think twice about it. My parents have enough to go around. They were happy to help."

"Wow…I can't believe… thank you."

"Of course."

"I have to apologize," Sirius said, a smile in his eyes. "My parents didn't think to get you anything. Please forgive. You're not a pureblood or a Slytherin."

"I am a pureblood," she stated factually and they all looked surprised. Ginny grinned. "Blood-traitor and proud remember? But it's gift enough that they didn't get me anything. It'd probably be heavily cursed anyways."

The group made their way back to the castle slowly but surely on foot. The entire way, Remus was worried that his gift wouldn't be enough. It wasn't practical like Lily's or James' and it wasn't humorous like Sirius'. He wondered if Ginny would appreciate the sentiment of his gift or think it insignificant to what else she'd gotten. And because of his worries he was quiet for the majority of the walk to Hogwarts and didn't hear Ginny's unusually charming and happy conversation with the rest of his friends. Only James and Lily knew about her special circumstances but the gratification of Sirius and Regulus was indomitable and Lily's joy of having Alice and Frank around extended also to Ginny's countenance.

At last, they entered the warmth of the Entrance Hall and each of them sighed with relief. It was already dark out and so they headed into the Great Hall for dinner. Their bags disappeared. Remus had a hard time concentrating on anything. He picked at his food slowly, feeling the sting of Ginny talking to everyone but him. He didn't think she meant anything by it; he was, after all, the one not participating in conversation. For the first time however, Ginny was enjoying other people's time and he felt unneeded. Half way through dinner though, he felt a hand rest on his knee and he smiled. Ginny turned to him and pressed her lips together.

"Welcome back Remus," she said quietly. "I missed you."

That was all the reassurance he needed. He squeezed her hand. "I missed you too. Your gift is upstairs. When we get back to the Common Room…"

"Another gift?" She looked almost dizzy at the thought of it. "You didn't have to but thank you. I didn't get you anything."

"I don't expect so. It doesn't matter. You need more than we do."

For the end of dinner, Remus finally engaged in the conversation of the table. It was simple talk, nothing about the war. Mostly they talked about their first class tomorrow morning.

"I'll get to sleep in," Sirius said joyfully.

"You're really not going to go?" Lily asked.

"Of course not, the class is a load of rubbish. I don't want to learn dark magic I want to learn how to destroy dark magic and our professor is best as ever this year. I'm not going to waste my time supporting a ministry that can't decide what side of the war they want to support – their own or the enemy's."

"I agree. I'm not going. Half of me wants to picket outside of the classroom. It's preposterous," Alice said.

"We've convinced every seventh year that stayed for the break not go, and told them to encourage their friends not to when the train got back. All but the Slytherins that is," Ginny told them.

"They were really supportive about it too. There was only a couple we had to use effort in order to convince. But we did I think. It'll be a good revolt," Alice said.

"Well done," James commended. "How are we going to get everyone else to agree though?"

"I don't think it will be too difficult," Ginny said. "The rumors will spread fast enough. I think only a few Ravenclaws will be difficult to convince but even if they do go, I'm sure they'll stop going by the end of the first class. And if not, it doesn't matter. The revolt will go on."

In the Common Room the group sat around the fire; Lily was reading, Alice and Frank were practicing charms, Peter and Sirius were half asleep on the sofa, and James was gazing at Lily, half asleep himself. Ginny sat beside Lily, reading a book behind another book. _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ was hidden behind a Muggle Studies textbook. She was having a truly difficult time reading it though. It had been hard to read the first time. But knowing the truth completely now, it was even more difficult to comprehend. It seemed as though Dumbledore himself had been on enemy lines before. It made her queasy to think that the greatest wizard of all time had once had the same ideologies that Voldemort had. She couldn't imagine what could've become of the wizarding world if Dumbledore had continued on his path with Grindlewald.

She felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to find Remus. He gestured for her to follow him to the opposite side of the room. She took a cursory glance at the clock and saw that it was nearing midnight. They huddled closely in a corner, Remus obviously wishing to have this moment be private between the two of them. He pulled from his robes a flat piece of glass with rounded edges.

"This is for you. Merry Christmas, Ginny."

He handed her the glass and she held it delicately in her hands. Confused, she turned it over, knowing somehow there had to be more than just this but found nothing. She glanced up at him curiously and he grinned, pulling his wand from his sleeve. He centered the very tip of his wand on the glass, gave a little pressure and said:

"Ignis rosa…"

For a bit of time, nothing happened. Ginny stared dumbly at the glass attempting to see whatever it was that Remus had done; his charm was not familiar to her. But she slowly recognized that the once transparent glass was becoming cloudy where Remus' wand had been. A small swelling of glass, like a lima bean pushing up through the ground, appeared, becoming an opaque shade of dark green. To her astonishment a small green stem popped up from the glass. Ginny jumped and Remus held his hands underneath hers to steady her.

The stem continued to grow, much faster than a normal stem, but much to slow for Ginny's curiosity. Soon, the stem grew leaves, large canopy-like leaves and it continued to grow up and up, about 7 inches tall and at the very top a bud was nearly ready to bloom. By now, Ginny was waiting in anticipation. The bud began to glow a soft green light, emanating a luminescent light in the small space between Remus and Ginny. All too suddenly, the rosebud burst open and Ginny gasped. It was a rose Ginny could tell…but it wasn't. It was a small phoenix at the same time, blooming, just glowing curled into itself. It grew like a rose would bloom, and it's wings unwrapped from around itself…It grew gloriously, spreading it wings wide, as if to reach out for a hug. It hit it's pinnacle, bursting into flames and heating Ginny's face.

Finally, she looked up at Remus, beaming. "It's wonder-"

"Shhh." He motioned again for her to pay attention to the bird. Wondering how there could be anymore to this fantastic work of magic and she watched hungrily. After hitting it climax, the phoenix flaunted it color and zest for mere moments before Ginny realized it was beginning to fade just as gloriously as it had bloomed. It wilted just s a flower would, the flames dampening, the wings falling to its side. Its head fell to its chest and as the light went out, the entire flower fell to ashes.

More confused than ever, Ginny began to speak but again, Remus quieted her. Obediently she continued to watch, saddened. But the ashes shifted as if something was moving underneath it. She realized, as the ashes began to dissolve into the glass, the process was beginning again.

"It's to show you that something can be beautiful, and can flourish, and can die…but something just as beautiful can grow again. And you'll never forget the first time you saw it grow…but you will never forget to appreciate each time it grows again."

* * *

**It is short, but I really hope you enjoyed it. I will update as soon as I can. **


	13. The Room of Requirement

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

Also, If you're not listed above and you've alerted, reviewed, or favorite, please let me know. I've done a terrible job of updating.

I don't own Harry Potter but I do own a nice chest of all the books ;)

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: The Room of Requirement

"Lily, relax. We've already explained this to you. It's only detention," Ginny told her at breakfast Monday morning. The Great Hall was rather empty that morning. There were only a few classes beginning so early and Professor Gayle's class was one of them. Because of this, there were scattered third years and fourth years and a few fifth years studying endlessly for O., and maybe five seventh years, not taking into account the Slytherins, who were sparse in their own right anyways. Everyone was sleeping in.

"What if the class is actually useful?" Lily said fretfully.

"I can't believe you just said that," James said, pulling a face at her. "Its rubbish and you know it. Don't let your petty fear of discipline get in the way of the rebel I've been trying to so hard to make of you." He grinned. "Besides, I've been in detention countless times. And I'm still alive."

"You know James," Ginny said over her oatmeal, "I'm surprised you're even awake. I figured it'd be Remus who would wake up early."

James shook his head. "No. Remus could hardly sleep all night, so he slept in. Sirius and Peter are asleep too; no surprise there. But I figured Lily would be hyperventilating over this whole detention business -"

"I'm not hyperventilating - "

"and I thought it would be prudent to encourage her this morning. Thus, I am awake."

Lily pouted. Ginny sat up a little straighter and ran her fingers through her hair, thinking of the phoenix Remus had given her. She wondered if that was why he couldn't sleep.

"Thank you…again. For everything," she said suddenly. She knew she was sitting before Harry Potter's parents, the two people who created the boy she loved so much, the boy who sacrificed himself for her numerous times. She scanned the two of them, hardly understanding how grateful she was that they were in on her little secret, that they were helping her. They were her friends.

Lily smiled. "Of course."

"Does Sirius know?"

"No," James told her. "Nor does Regulus or Peter."

Ginny nodded. "They'll have to know eventually," she said. "At least Sirius."

"Why not Peter?" James asked. Ginny flinched, attempting to remember that she was in the time before his betrayal there wasn't even a seedling of it in his mind.

"Peter too," she mended. Lily seemed to note Ginny's indifference to Peter but Ginny saw the same in Lily too and found it very curious. She made a mental note to ask her about it later. "So what do you plan on doing for the next hour and a half. You've got time to kill," Ginny asked, changing the subject.

James thought. "I'll probably just stay in the Common Room, keep to my own business and pretend I just slept in like everybody else." He had a mischievous look to him that Ginny adored and Lily abhorred. He laughed. "Probably. But who knows."

"You better not be up to something even worse than skipping class," Lily warned.

"Lily, skipping class is not that bad," he told her. "It really isn't."

"No, you're right James, it isn't; however, this particular class is run by a ministry official. Therefore, the consequences might be much higher than you believe."

James shrugged. "I don't believe that. Dumbledore will applaud us."

"He will," Ginny said, thinking of Dolores Umbridge and her reign as High Inquisitor. Lily frowned and Ginny thought, _Stay out of my head, please._ Lily glanced down at her food. "Dumbledore will applaud us, if he believes this Gayle fellow is as terrible as we think. However, it's not necessarily under his sole control. In the future, we go through a very similar situation."

"Morning loves," came a voice from behind them. Sirius waltzed down between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables, still in his pajamas with a robe lazily wrapped around him. A few fifth year Gryffindors gawked at him with admiration and desire. He took a seat right beside Ginny, who smiled and offered him her toast. "Thanks," he said, taking a bite.

"I thought you were sleeping in," Lily said but Sirius chuckled through his full mouth.

"Nah. I want to see the fury on Gayle's face when he realizes there are only five people in his entire class. Swell, it will be."

Of course Sirius had hardly changed, Ginny noted. Less mature if anything, and without the twelve years experience in Azkaban he was bound to be a bit more adolescent. Today, he didn't have that ever-present layer of grime and dirt on his skin that Ginny always felt he had in her time. In his brow she saw the affliction that his family caused but it was greatly masked by the truth of happiness he had in his friends. He ate as he normally did, shoving whole pieces of food into his mouth at a constant and disgusting rate. Molly had always been amazed at his ability to eat so much but had always attributed his appetite to the lack of sufficient nutrition in Azkaban. Her thoughts always returned to Azkaban. She shook it out of her head.

Ginny agreed with him. She wanted to see Gayle's reaction. But she planned instead on staying in Professor McGonagall's classroom, hoping she was teaching something she didn't know how to do yet. She'd discussed this with Lily the evening before. They could use their time practically - instead of wasting time by just skipping they were going to go to other classes, hope that the professor let them stay, and learn something. Today they'd decided to go to McGonagall…she was the one teacher who would most likely allow them to stay.

Breakfast passed slowly. Ginny wanted to talk to Lily and James more about the future but she wasn't sure if she wanted Sirius to be aware of anything yet. Not even Regulus was informed. So she kept mum instead and listened as Sirius rambled on in his pajamas about how great it was going to be: a mass detention. He was envisioning a detention party in the Great Hall with all of the seventh years.

"It's going to be brilliant. And you Ginny are going to be the ring leader."

"Really, that's all right. I'm supposed to be keeping my head down since my little outburst over the Death Eater thing."

But Sirius was already onto his next prank.

After breakfast, Lily and Ginny walked together to McGonagall's classroom to find a group of fourth years attempting to transfigure a bedside table into a plant. They walked into the back of the room hardly noticed by anyone but Professor McGonagall and she beckoned them toward her from her desk at the front of the classroom. Gradually, students were noticing their presence as they walked through the classroom. Most of them continued working on their spellwork.

"Can I help you ladies? As far as I'm concerned you are supposed to be in class," Professor McGonagall said. Lily took a step backward; Ginny, one forward.

"We are in class. Not the one we're supposed to be in but certainly the right one. Gayle will have to curse me into my seat to get me there." To Ginny's delight and Lily's relief, McGonagall smiled.

"Certainly the right one. So tell me Miss Weasley, Miss Evans, you must have a reason for being in my classroom so early this morning when you could be sleeping in."

"We thought we might sit in the back of the room and pay attention; perhaps learn something we haven't learned previously." Professor McGonagall did not seem surprised nor impressed. In fact, she looked rather as though her expectations had been fulfilled.

"As you are both already quite efficient in this exercise I cannot encourage you to join my class this morning. However, if you'd like to help the fourth years, I would much appreciate it, as would they." As she said this a Ravenclaw boy cursed loudly. She took five points from his house.

"It's too hard! Professor, how can you give us work that is so difficult?" he said exasperatingly.

Ginny and Lily looked around the room. There was a combination of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors around the room, a few of the Ravenclaws and a majority of the Gryffindors were struggling to do anything productive.

"It isn't hard, you're just not doing it right," Ginny said matter-of-factly and a few students gaped at her. "You can't be serious…you really find this to be too difficult? You aren't trying hard enough."

Ginny turned the boy around, and though he was taller than her by about four inches, she stood behind him and held his wand arm. "Say the incantation and when you do feel the words on your lips. Embrace the abilities you have, understand?" By now nearly everyone was watching them. Ginny moved his hand in a fluid motion when he began the incantation and the table in front of him diminished in size to a measly lima bean leaf in a ceramic pot. The class clapped.

"That was brilliant!"

"Fantastic!"

Ginny nodded her thanks. "But I can't do it for you. You all have OWLs next year and that is on your own. The only way you'll really learn magic is by exceptional feeling and practice. It's the only way you will ever get anywhere. You have to put in effort."

"Well said, Miss Weasley. Could you demonstrate? Ever since our discussion with Professor Dumbledore I've been rather curious. Would you mind showing us your patronus?" Professor McGonagall relished the reaction of those around her. "I hear you learned how to create a corporeal patronus when you were a fourth year yourself."

"My goodness, you can make a patronus?" Lily asked, astonished. The fourth years began to whisper in amazement.

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I learned in fourth year. Harry taught me actually," Ginny told her and Lily had the fleeting look of a proud mother which looked odd on her seventeen year old face. Ginny conjured in her heart how happy she'd felt at every DA meeting and raised her wand. "Expecto patronum."

"Woah."

"No way."

"Professor why don't you teach us that?"

The mare galloped throughout the classroom, illuminating the very darkest corners. Ginny had felt her most alive when in DA meetings. Despite Harry's affection for Cho Chang at the time, the euphoria of being free from her obsession over him and the adrenaline of being a rebel within the lack of equilibrium at Hogwarts was more than just satisfying. The competition with Hermione to always do better than the other, holding a secret from everyone else, having a home inside of Hogwarts: The Room of Requirement was the perfect place…she'd never forget -

_Harry picked up the diadem off of the old hag and …._

The horse vanished instantly.

"What happened?" the fourth years asked, looking at Ginny with curiosity.

"Ginny are you okay?" Lily asked, recognizing her shocked and terrified expression.

"Excuse me." Ginny ran. Out of the room, away from the corridor; she was unaware of whether or not Lily was following her. She wished she could Apparate, if just to get her there seconds faster. Somehow her legs weren't moving fast enough. Each step she took was inches to short for her.

Pushing others out of her way, people called nasty expletives at her. She could hear Peeves somewhere in the air behind her swinging a quick jig. A professor commanded her to halt but she ignored them all. She came to a rearing halt when she reached the seventh floor corridor and faced the wall across from the tapestry of the troll ballet. Dumbfounded and rather disappointed, that's all it was: just a wall.

But there was no doubting that the Room of Requirement still existed. She'd quite literally popped out from the wall of it nearly three months ago. The problem was just exactly what form of the Room of Requirement was she supposed go inside. She knew it was supposed to be filled with junk. But who needs a room full of junk?

By the time Lily appeared, breathless, doubled over with her hands on her knees attempting to regain proper lung filling ability Ginny had already tried five different rooms, all of which were perfectly fruitless.

She was practically stomping back and forth instead of pacing. She could hit something.

"What…on earth…is going on…?" Lily managed to say.

"There's a Horcrux in this room," Ginny exclaimed pointing wildly to a stone wall. She knew she must look mad.

Lily's eyes widened with fear. "A what? You must be joking. But then... you…the Horcrux book?"

"Did Remus tell you?"

"Tell me what? That you've been reading up on that god awful magic, yes. But what are you talking about? There's no room there. It doesn't matter you'll tell me later, we're going to be late for Herbology by this time." Lily grabbed Ginny's bag.

Instead of following after Ginny sat rigidly against the tapestry staring at the opposite wall, which clearly had no door to make an entrance to a room. She seemed not to be paying attention to Lily at all. "You go on ahead. I'm going to stay here for a while."

* * *

"Where's Ginny?" Remus immediately asked when Lily showed up to the greenhouses alone.

"Sitting up in the seventh floor corridor staring at a wall. She thinks there's a room behind it. I don't know. She seemed quite serious though."

"Not as serious as Sirius though," James said.

"It isn't funny James," she said with a glare, throwing down her bag and giving Peter a start. "She just runs out of McGonagall's room as though McGonagall was trying to transfigure her into a troll all the way up to the seventh corridor to stomp around like an ape and she won't put coherent words together to tell me what's going on! Remus, you know." The last three words really meant, _you better tell me or I'll Transfigure YOU into a troll._

* * *

At eight o'clock in the evening, Ginny still hadn't been seen in classes, in her dormitory, in the Common Room, at lunch or dinner, or even anywhere in the castle. She'd racked up a few detentions, a letter from Professor Dumbledore that had yet to reach her because she couldn't be found, and had lost Gryffindor a decent amount of points. Lily was plenty furious that Remus had politely refused to tell her anything because he thought it would be better if Ginny was there to say it all correctly. But in her fury she forced the Marauder's to follow her up to the seventh corridor where they found a strained looking redhead sitting on the floor with her back to the tapestry, her eyes closed.

"So you've come back have you?" Lily asked.

"I haven't left," Ginny replied simply, without looking up.

Lily huffed. "I came here after lunchtime and you were gone."

"No. I was inside." Finally, Ginny opened her eyes and pointed the solid stone wall."

"I told you," Lily said desperately, "she thinks there's a room there."

"There is a room there," Ginny said matter-of-factly, "and if you insist on distracting me you might as well ask those pressing questions that are about to burst from your lips."

Sirius and James sniggered but ceased at Lily's glare.

"Please, Lily, there isn't a room on this corridor. It isn't on the Marauder's map," Sirius said sitting down beside Ginny cross-legged and holding his hands in prayer as if he were monk.

"Don't patronize me. It isn't on the map for two reasons, Padfoot. One of which is that you haven't discovered it. This Room only appears when someone walks by three times in great need of certain room. Then it forms into that needed room, whatever it may be."

"Impossible," James said. "If there was a room like that in the castle we would've found it quite a while ago. As far as I'm concerned if it isn't on the map it doesn't exist."

"The other reason is that it is Unplottable. You can't put it on the map. It's made so that it can't be put on a map." Ginny glanced at Remus for help but he looked uncertain himself.

"I think I have to agree with James. We've spent the last six and a half years scouring this castle at all hours, against the rules or not."

Ginny stood and walked back and forth three times. Naturally, a dark wooden door with wrought iron carvings grew from the wall out of nothing. The expressions of her companions were extravagant. She opened the door. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement."


	14. Now You Know

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200 and Grislibar for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I do not own any Harry Potter canon.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen - Now You Know

"Well, I'll gladly stick a wad of socks in my mouth," Sirius said, jaw agape at his surroundings.

Ginny had brought them into the room where Dumbledore's Army practiced in. The room where she'd finally gotten over her silly crush on Harry Potter and learned to function quite properly without him. It broke her heart just to think about it.

"This is incredible. We could use this room to practice spells!" Lily exclaimed, always on point. She was at the bookshelves. "There are even extra readings on all sorts of things…hinkypunks…warlocks…shielding spells."

"There're even dummies to fight against!" Peter said looking up to one that was much taller than he could ever hope to be.

They six of them spent some time looking around. The Marauders attempted to restrain their fascination. Ginny could only hope to put a façade over her sadness.

"This is the room I came from when you found me," she finally said.

"No, we're on the fourth floor," Sirius said. "I'll always remember the other redhead flying from around the corner and grabbing my best mate-"

"Shut it Sirius!" Lily, James, and Remus demanded simultaneously.

Ginny took a deep breath to steady herself. "In my time, the room took the form of a safehouse. The war was being waged inside the castle. It had outlets all over the castle so the entrance couldn't be found."

"Did you mean to say that?" Remus whispered beside her and it made her shiver. She nodded. Of course Sirius didn't miss a thing.

"What do you mean in your time? Aren't we all in the same…time…?"

"No Sirius, I'm from the future."

Sirius turned to look into her face. She remained calm.

"Ok," was all he said.

"Ok? What do you mean ok? That's it?" Lily said.

"You aren't shocked or anything mate? Like Wormtail?"

Ginny turned to Pettigrew, quite forgetting that he'd been there. He looked absolutely surprised.

"Well it makes sense doesn't it? Naming Death Eaters out of thin air, her incredible talent, her private conversations with the headmaster, this Room, and her bringing Regulus around…it just makes sense."

"I never thought I'd hear Sirius speak sense at all," Remus said.

"So what am I like in the future? Did you know me?"

"And that was the rest of his sense I think," Ginny said aside to Remus. He chuckled. "Yes I knew you. But the short and long of it is we all die. I was sent back here by Lily and James' son to change all that."

"Blimey…well done James," he said throwing a wink in Lily's direction and she scowled. "You want applause to?"

"Enough. In my fourth year, we had an awful woman as our Defense teacher. Her name was Dolores Umbridge. She was sent by the Ministry, much like Gayle."

"He isn't much of a Professor without students though," Sirius interjected with a grin and pulled out a detention slip.

Ginny continued. "In the future, the Ministry was on it's way to being corrupt. Our Minister was afraid Dumbledore was creating an army to take his position. Umbridge didn't allow us to use magic at all. She merely taught us theory. Her power at the school continued to grow. She even became Headmistress for a short while. It was miserable. But Harry and Ron and Hermione started a group to learn defensive magic for the upcoming war. Voldemort had come back from the dead practically."

Suddenly, Remus looked stricken.

"There was a bunch of us. We named the group The D.A. or Dumbledore's Army. Harry was to teach us because he had fought Voldemort many times before and he was only a fifth year. He already had so much experience. We practiced in this very room."

"But where are you going with this?" Lily asked.

"Today, Professor McGonagall asked me if I could show her my patronus."

"You can make a patronus!" James asked.

"I can."

"So when McGonagall asked you to make your patronus you thought of this room. Why is it important? You said there was a Horcrux in here."

"Voldemort used Horcruxes to split his soul and I've got proof that one of them is in this room. I just don't know which form of the room it's in. It's a room full of useless junk and I don't know why anyone would need it."

Lily looked horrified. "He has more than one. More than one Horcrux. He's split his soul twice?"

"No."

"But-"

"He has split his soul seven times." Silence engulfed the room like Ginny had never before seen.

"What is a Horcrux?" Peter asked but everyone ignored him.

"You mean to tell me that You-Know-Who has seven pieces of his soul laying around out there somewhere in the world?" Sirius asked. "Isn't one enough?"

"What's most important is that Ginny knows what they are, but not necessarily where they are," Remus told them.

"I know where one is. The diadem of Ravenclaw is in the Room of Requirement sitting on a marble bust of an old warlock."

* * *

Ginny laid around the seventh floor corridor for weeks whenever Lily didn't absolutely force her to go to class or meals or whenever she didn't have a detention for skipping class. Somehow, nothing she tried brought her to the right Room of Requirement.

She'd tried all sorts of rooms: cluttered room, room of useless things, and garbage room; none of these even brought her a door. Realizing again that the person had to present a need she would think 'I need a room full of useless things' which gave her a room of full of quills with no ink and broken sneakoscopes; or she'd think 'I need a room with plenty of stuff stacked on top of one another' which gave her a room full of stacked books. Room after room was wrong. Luckily she didn't need to leave when she had to use the restroom. She'd just walk by three times and a lavatory would appear.

Oftentimes her friends would join her and try to help but their efforts were just as futile as her own, especially because they didn't know what she was looking for. Normally, she just preferred them not to come at all.

Sirius would distract her by telling her funny stories of his day, or pranks he'd pulled with James earlier in the week. The only advantage to having him around was that he considerably cheered her up when she was frustrated. James on the other hand was just as helpful as Sirius except he tried for a good ten minutes before he got bored and lost patience. When Sirius and James came together, Ginny found herself itching to hex the both of them.

When Peter came around it was awkward. He hardly said much at and Ginny of course had nothing to say to him. So they sat there in silence; Ginny was always incapable of concentrating when he was there because all she could think of was what'd he done to his friends. Or what he was going to do anyways.

Lily though was quite helpful, writing down everything they tried so they wouldn't repeat themselves unnecessarily. But she often put down her notepad and explained to Ginny that she could think of them in class and come back to try them, that she would get less detentions. But truthfully she didn't mind detention. It gave her more time to think and the seclusion she had while everyone else was enjoying freedom was perfect. The only class she did bother going to was Defense.

Most helpful of all were Remus and Regulus. Each of them spent time every day to come by and see her and they never distracted her. Once in while Remus would come from the library with information on Tom Riddle or horcruxes. Regulus would come with a list a hundred lines long of things to try on the door. Ginny had told Regulus the truth the evening she'd told Sirius and Peter.

* * *

"Ginny?"

"Yes?" Sirius had approached her one afternoon when she was taking a much needed break from the seventh floor. Lily and Remus assured her that they would keep trying until she returned. She was practicing a few charms. A few very good charms. Sirius was not surprised. She was very similar to Lily.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I didn't want him to turn out the way he was going to. Either way of course he was always good, did what was best in the end, you need not to worry about that. But that's just it. With my way, there is no end; not in sight at least. Voldemort's way, he dies much sooner." Sirius flinched, whether at Ginny saying The Dark Lord's name or at the idea of his young brother being murdered he himself didn't know. "Expecto Patronum."

A horse flew from the tip of the wand. "Want to learn how?" she asked.

"No…" he said at a loss, not really knowing what he was saying. "But thanks."

"Any time."

* * *

Professor Gayle had continued to give out detentions to student who skipped his class but it seemed he had given up on setting store by the rules the Ministry had laid out for him. He yelled at student half-heartedly. He barely paid any attention to James and Sirius, who were the loudest of the class revolt.

"You know James and I even danced outside of his classroom the other day. Peeves even sang with us and Gayle didn't say a word," Sirius told them at dinner. They all glanced up at the High Table at the wizard sitting in the corner by himself resting his head on his hands.

"He looks depressed," Alice noted.

"You don't pity him do you?"

"What if it isn't his choice to be here? He's surrounded by kid Death Eaters every day. I'll bet he's depressed," Ginny said.

She looked over to her left where Mary and Ravenna, her other roommates were sitting. They were gaping in her direction. Apparently they were surprised she was now friends with Lily and Alice. They'd been whispering and gaping since their first mass detention.

Ginny had never seen a detention so large. Just the fact that detention had to be held in the Great Hall was a victory to her. Every single Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw seventh year was sitting quite rigidly, with smiles on their faces. It was merely the silent treatment Gayle forced on them for an hour and a half. They sat there without speaking and that was simply it.

"That was the easiest detention I've ever had to sit through," Sirius said with delight.

They chatted non-stop through dinner and much later into the evening, sitting at the Gryffindor table for hours. Even Regulus joined them. Sirius and James sported their pureblood and proud pins. Alice and Frank announced they were officially together and even Peter contributed to the conversation with a story about how his owl had sent a letter meant for a girl he liked to his mother instead.

For the first time, Ginny found she was truly enjoying herself; she smiled without fear. But it was too much of a relief, so much so it shocked her and on the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room she allowed herself to quietly fall behind the rest of the group.

Ginny wasn't sure she liked how easily she was becoming friends with them, forgetting for moments too long why she was here. What if she forgot this vital information and everything happened the same way anyways? It was too dangerous to get this close. Being around James and Lily now, seeing the good in them, made Ginny anxious. Harry would never really get to be with them if she got too close and allowed their deaths. That's the only thing she could think of on the way to the Common Room.

"You know, it's okay," James said, slowing his pace to walk beside her as the others went ahead.

"What's okay?" she asked, bewildered.

"It's ok to enjoy yourself. If Harry learned anything from his parent's deaths, our deaths, it's that life isn't as planned and you have to move on. Sure, things have changed but I think Harry wouldn't have wanted you to be moping around for this long. If he's anything like me, he'd be delighted to learn you've befriended his parents."

Ginny smiled. "Thanks. I'm just worried that I'll forget."

"You won't forget. You love my son too much. I trust in you," James assured her.

* * *

"So what are you thinking about?" Remus asked her one evening. They were the last ones in the Common Room. The fire was about to go out but Ginny was sitting deep in thought in front of it. "You can't still be thinking about the Room of Requirement. We've tried nearly everything."

"I'm not actually. To be honest as long as the Horcrux is safe there I'm not too worried. Harry got to it so I know we will. I was thinking though about Regulus and Sirius. I'm glad I was able to help them. It's a very accomplishing feeling seeing as we've done little else. Regulus has a young mind regardless of his age. But I think he'll be a vital fighter."

"I think so too. How old was Harry…when he died?"

Ginny frowned. "Just seventeen. Nearly eighteen I suppose. Why?"

"Wow. He was a gifted a wizard if he was able to fight. Even to do a corporeal patronus at his age is incredible. Most adult wizards find it difficult."

Oddly, Ginny brightened. "What's most incredible is that he taught us in that group I told you about. He is the one that taught me how to do a patronus." She looked back down at her lap in contemplation. "that year was interesting though. Very much happened, my fourth year. Harry's fifth, of course."

"What happened?"

"Sirius died that year. It was Bellatrix."

Remus took the information easily. Ginny had seen that Remus now interpreted her past not as their future but as a distant, rather gruesome fairytale. "You've seen all of us die. I'm sorry you have to hold the burden of that emotion."

"It's not about me seeing you die. I merely saw the effects of their deaths on others, especially Harry. That's the burden I bear. James and Lily never got know their son. But Harry was loyal and loving and sometimes it tore him apart that he never knew them. Sirius though was the worst I think. Sirius was his godfather, the only parental figure he really knew. And he believed it was his fault for Sirius' death. You died valiantly in battle with your wife. You left behind a son, much like Lily and James did with Harry. Harry was your son's godfather. Yours and everyone else's death has one result. That's me being here. I don't think that's what the future is going to be like anymore though. Its changed. I can feel it already. It started with Regulus. It's bloody terrifying not knowing though.

"You were very young to be dealing with all of this. Especially Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I can't imagine having to deal with it at this age."

"I'll have to go on that journey soon, once I'm out of school. Sooner even, whenever I turn seventeen. Dumbledore wants me to finish school but I don't know. Dumbledore died in the process of looking for Horcruxes. I can't let him die now or Harry will never meet him. You know what's interesting though?"

"What?"

"In a way you taught me how to make a patronus."

"What do you mean?"

"You taught Harry and Harry taught me."

"I taught him?"

Ginny nodded. "You were our Defense teacher my second year. Someone broke out from Azkaban looking for Harry so they placed dementors all around the castle. But because Harry was so fragile to them you taught him how to protect himself."

"Someone broke out of Azkaban? You know the Marauders could learn a few tricks from him."

"That was the bloody bloke trying to kill my son!"

James and Sirius had silently emerged from their dormitory.

"I'm sorry but getting away from peeves would lower our detention rate! And NEWTS are coming up I've got to study!" James glared at his friend.

"Who was though. I want to kill him before he even goes to Azkaban," James declared. "Before he even knows who Harry is."

"Before even _you_ know who Harry is?" Remus countered. "Not a swell idea mate. Killing on basis of a future that we're not even sure is going to happen anymore? There's no reason to take a life before he's even done anything wrong. And besides if it weren't for him I wouldn't have had a reason to teach Harry how to make a corporeal patronus," he pointed out.

"And you wouldn't kill him anyways," Ginny added.

"Why wouldn't I?" James asked as if she were questioning his prowess. "I'm not afraid."

"I didn't mean to imply that. You wouldn't kill him because of who he is, not because you are a coward, which you are definitely not. You died for your wife and son for goodness sake."

"Who could that be?" Sirius asked. "there aren't that many people James wouldn't hesitate ot kill if they threatened his son."

"You Sirius." A shocked look flashed over all their faces. James and Sirius slumped into nearby sofa chairs. "But you weren't trying to hurt Harry. You were trying to protect him. But no one knew that. You were trying to prove yourself innocent of your crimes."

"Was I?"

"Absolutely."

They all took a deep breath of relief.

"So I was framed. By who?"

"I think that's a story for another evening. We need to focus less on my past and our future. How's that?"

* * *

Please review. It means a ton to me :)


	15. Hidden Things

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, and Lady Elizabeth of New York for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I do not own anything Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen - Hidden Things

The castle was shrouded in death. No students had been killed but a good deal of family members had been. The number of orphans at the school increased weekly. Allison Maston was now an only child. Death Eaters murdered all six of her muggle siblings. A third year Hufflepuff broke down at breakfast when an owl brought him news that his mum had gone missing and he had to be brought by James and Lily, Head Boy and Head Girl, to the Hospital wing. Students were being pulled out of school left and right and a blanket of insecurity lay over everyone. It was normal for students to walk to class in big groups. No one roamed the castle alone Students feared being attacked just walking down the hall or that they would be the next one whose father had been murdered. Voldemort was getting stronger and his death eaters were getting cockier and more daring.

Ginny was becoming more anxious as time passed. Her meetings with Dumbledore were fruitless. She'd told him about the Horcruxes and about the one she knew was in the Room of Requirement but he was no closer to finding any than she and her friends were. More than seven months had passed since Ginny arrived and the only thing she had truly accomplished was making sure Regulus had not joined the Dark Lord.

The Horcruxes seemed to be less and less attainable. There were six and they couldn't even grasp the one that sat right under their noses. Dumbledore was leaving the castle more and more often on undisclosed trips and when Ginny wanted to see him most she'd find that he'd gone. But Ginny remembered Harry's frustration when the wizard was absent all throughout her fifth year. She never expected she would ever truly sympathize with Harry. She never knew how he really felt having so much weight and importance being forced on him to save his friends. Ginny wanted more than ever to speak with Harry, ask his advice on how to deal with Dumbledore. But these thoughts simply made her depressed and withdraw from her friends, something Remus had done well to make sure didn't happen.

What irritated Ginny most about her meetings with the headmaster was that she noticed on occasion that he was not completely focused on the task at hand: finding and destroying the Horcruxes. Oftentimes he would insert irrelevant questions about things she carried on her person; only two things actually. Dumbledore had developed a discomforting curiosity in Harry's cloak and the ring Harry had given her.

"You know that cloak is very valuable. I don't think there is one like it," he'd slip into their conversation quite randomly.

"Well James has one," she replied and although Professor Dumbledore already knew this, she'd later regretted reminding him. He could now distract himself further and ask James about it.

Because of this Ginny confronted James. "Has Professor Dumbledore asked you about your cloak?" Ginny asked him one day while sitting in the Room of Requirement. Regulus was in class and Lily and Remus were in the library with Alice and Frank. Ginny, Sirius and James were meant to be trying to get to the Horcrux.

"Actually, he asked me only yesterday how I'd gotten it. I told him it's been passed down for centuries in my family. That's how you got it, from Harry right?"

"Yes. I just wonder how he got it. Not from you clearly. But it doesn't matter really. Just do me a favor. If Dumbledore ever asks you to borrow your cloak, say no." James looked confused.

"Is there something wrong with the cloak? Dumbledore can hide himself completely without a cloak. Why would he ask James for his?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know why he's interested in it but he's asked me often about mine and for some reason it makes me uncomfortable. I don't think we should encourage his curiosity until we find the horcruxes."

Another evening, while Ginny was explaining to Dumbledore about what each of the Horcruxes were he interrupted her and asked, "Where did you get that ring?"

"Well there's Hufflepuff's cu- …er...Harry gave it to me." Caught off guard, she glanced down at her hand where the ring, cracked straight down the middle, sat innocently on her finger.

_"Ginny, I need you to take this ring."_

_"You're giving me a ring? As I'm bringing half dead bodies into the castle you're proposing?"_

_"It's not...I guess…it is. Marry me Ginny," he said desperately. She was standing beside a young girl who was asking for her mother, crying. Ignoring Harry she bent down and told the girl she needed to get her inside."Ginny, please."_

_"This isn't funny Harry," Ginny said angrily. "Now is not the time. Don't ask me to marry you when you could die at any moment. Don't do that to me."_

_Harry grabbed her should as she turned to bend back down to the girl. "It's not supposed to be funny just take the damn ring whether or not you'll marry me!" So shocked by his outburst Ginny held out her hand. He jammed the ring on her left ring finger. It left a red mark. _

_She saw that there was a design on the stone but couldn't make out what it was because it was cracked. When Ginny looked up he was already gone. _

Inwardly, she cursed herself. She should've known.

"It was in a rush in the middle of war," she told him, trying to block that moment from her mind. "But do you have any idea where he might hide pieces of his soul? I know Lucius Malfoy has one."

"Have you taken that ring off at all?" he interrupted her again, insensitively.

"No I haven't," she replied attempting to keep her voice from sounding frustrated.

Nonetheless, her meetings were helpful when Dumbledore was focused. She learned a lot. Dumbledore'd been the one to tell the eleven year old Riddle that he was a wizard. He had been Tom Riddle's Transfiguration professor. Voldemort took pride in his power and would most likely hide his soul in places he was familiar with, places that would show his power, his connection to the Wizarding World.

Lily and Remus had come up with a list. They knew there was one in Hogwarts. Malfoy Manor. Gringotts. Albania. Ollivander's. But there was no assuring that the horcruxes were now in the place where Harry, Ron, and Hermione found them twenty years from now.

It wasn't just the horcruxes they were thinking about. NEWTS were coming up and while their importance withered in light of the war Lily steadfastly forced the whole group to study each of their subjects for at least an hour a day. James could only protest so much before his girlfriend asked him if he really wanted to be an Auror and he closed his mouth. Sirius teamed up with Ginny on the other hand. She knew that trusting in the establishment was hardly any use. It was infiltrated in the future and could just as easily be controlled now.

"We can fight in this war without being Aurors," Sirius said. "I'm not going to study to send a killing curse at my cousin. I already know how to do that."

"You've done it before?" James asked, somewhat surprised. Lily crossed her arms and looked at him questioningly. Regulus didn't seem surprised at all.

Sirius shrugged. "When I was angry back before I left home…a couple spiders here and there. You've just got to really mean it. Really want to kill something."

"But he's right. We don't need to be with the Ministry to fight on the Ministry's side. And who's to say the Ministry won't switch sides?" Peter squeaked. "It happened. That's why there's the Order of the Phoenix. Besides, I don't technically exist. I don't have documents to become an Auror."

"I'm sure Dumbledore could fabricate some really genuine ones," Remus offered.

"I'm sure he could but it isn't necessary. I guess I feel like I don't want to betray who I am. Everything would have to be made up."

"Speaking of betrayal, who betrayed us?" James asked too easily. Ginny knew he was trying to slyly slip in the question in the hope that Ginny would accidentally slip out an answer. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes not to jump to Peter, who looked from her to James innocently.

Ginny merely shook her head at him.

* * *

"You know, it's been on his mind since you told us. You blocked it from the text in the History of Magic book. I didn't lift it because I'm sure there's a reason you covered it but James has already tried stealing it from you but he can't get up to the girl's dormitory. He wants me to give it to him so he can remove the enchantments."

"I know he's thinking about it," was all Ginny replied.

Lily and Ginny sat on Ginny's bed, alone in their dormitory. Lily lied down and stared at the ceiling. Ginny rested beside her and their hair blended into one mesh of golden auburn thread. "Is it Peter?" Lily asked suddenly. "He's the one who betrays us isn't he? I can tell by the way you treat him. Sirius was right. At the beginning of the year he said you were afraid of him. You don't say anything to him and you act as though he's not there."

"You're pretty indifferent to him to," Ginny replied a bit defensively. She didn't like to be told she was treating someone improperly, regardless of whether or not it was true. "Why _are_ you so weary of him anyways?"

"I'm not." She sighed. "That's a lie. I guess he just seems like he doesn't belong. He's too much of a follower."

"That's a good way to describe him." The girls exchanged a look of unease. "Peter betrayed you and James and framed Sirius."

"It's almost laughable that he could come up with a scheme like that," Lily said after some time.

"Do you really believe he came up with him by himself?"

Lily was silent.

Ginny knew Peter was a soft spoken guy with dreams of being popular and outstanding like James. She knew he betrayed them because he was a coward. How could such a man be in Gryffindor? That was what troubled Ginny.

"I just don't know what to do about it. Certainly if the time comes and you and James need to be put into hiding you cannot make him your secret keeper. But over all I think we need to find a way to toughen him up. I'm worried he'll succumb to Voldemort anyways."

"We have to show him courage," Lily said.

"Yes. But I'm just concerned with having him act courageous. I think we need to make him lose his fear of death. If he isn't afraid of dying he won't bother with joining up."

Lily nodded. "Should we tell them?"

"I don't know. I feel like they would extradite him and just make matters worse. They don't take lightly to betrayal. Sirius wanted to kill him and Remus would no doubt let him if he knew. James might just be hurt. I think for now, we just need to let it be."

* * *

With a new quest, Ginny set out on it determinedly. She went to extensive lengths to sit beside Peter at mealtimes and talk to him while they walked from class to class. Remus often paired up with him in class and Lily encouraged James to include Peter in conversation more pervasively. She covered any suspicion by admitting that she thought he was too quiet and that he needed to break out of his shell a little more.

The extra attention seemed to be all Peter needed. He was sitting next to Frank and Alice as they reviewed Herbology questions when Regulus had shown up in the Room of Requirement with a bloody nose and a broken wrist.

"Why don't we just have Ginny bat-boogey the lot of them? Trust me, they don't want to be on the back end of that hex," Peter suggested, getting a good laugh out of everyone.

"I don't think Snape scares off that easily," Lily said. "Regulus is just lucky that it's only a broken wrist."

"This time," Sirius growled, as a proper older brother should. He pointed his wand at his brother's face and cleaned the blood off. "Last time he was in the hospital wing for four days with three broken ribs. You know what we're going to do? We're going to sneak you into the Gryffindor dormitories and you'll stay with us. I don't like you being surrounded by Death Eaters."

Remus nodded. "That's actually a decent idea."

"How exactly are you going to sneak him through the Gryffindor Common Room?" Frank asked. "Just because we've accepted him doesn't mean the other Gryffindors will."

"James' cloak would do it perfectly. We'd just have to walk with him because the doors can't look like they're opening and closing by themselves." Everyone stared at Peter. Even he was somewhat surprised by his newfound ability to contribute to the group. "We should get Regulus to the hospital wing to get him cleaned up," he reminded them all to divert some of the attention.

"Right. I'll take him. Want to come with me Peter?" Remus stood, but then not hearing his name, sat back down.

"I don't need to stay with you guys," Regulus said to Peter on the way. "It's probably good that there's a spy in the Slytherin Common room anyways. I hear about what they're doing sometimes."

"Hardly Regulus. They know you're friends with us and that you don't want anything to do with them. I'm sure they hide what they're really doing." Ginny thought about Snape. "We don't need a spy anyways."

"Why wouldn't we need a spy? Snape is a sneaky git. And Mulciber can get out of hand too."

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she had been expecting Regulus. She sat him down on one of the beds and she inspected his nose and wrist. "Who cleaned up your nose?" she asked.

"Sirius."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose. "Hm. It's actually quite well done. Let me just get my wand and I'll have your wrist together in no time."

"Ginny what are you doing here?" Professor McGonagall walked through the door holding her wand up. It was levitating a man who was convulsing rather intensely. He was saying something under his breath, not aware of his surroundings and he looked bizarre, practically seizing as he floated through the air. Forgetting all about Regulus, Madam Pomfrey rushed passed to set the man down on a bed. "I was about to send a note for you."

"Me? Why?"

McGonagall pointed in the direction of the ill man who Peter, Regulus, and Ginny now recognized as Professor Gayle. Her hands jumped to her mouth.

"Ginny Weasley… Weasley…next…" he whispered over and over again.

"Next? Who did this?" Regulus demanded.

"A fourth year Ravenclaw saw some older Slytherin leaving the Owlery and she found him shoved behind a waste basin. She thought he was dead but when we tried to move him…well…" she gestured again towards him.

"Has he gone mad?" Peter asked.

"We don't know for sure. I'm going to get the Headmaster." McGonagall stood still for a moment and looked hard into Ginny's eyes. She took in a huge breath, attempting to steady herself. She looked outraged. "I didn't like the man very much either," she exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air, "but I wasn't about to curse him to death and hide his body in owl dung!" She began walking out the door mumbling bitterly, loud enough for the radius of people around her to hear, "And how they cover it up so well! Mummy and Daddy Death Eaters teaching the babies to hide their tracks…"

"I can't believe they haven't caught them," Regulus said. "They really are getting trickier. I could be a spy for us."

"I'm not letting you be a spy," Ginny said firmly, glancing back at Gayle who was still shaking. Imagining Regulus in his place scared her.

"Er…Ginny?"

"Yes Peter?"

"We've been trying to get into the Room of Requirement after all this time but I've just realized something. We've been looking into rooms full of 'stuff' and 'things' and 'junk' but McGonagall said Death Eaters hide things…"

"I don't follow. It is a room full of stuff and things and junk."

"Ginny…_hidden_. Wouldn't You-Know-Who want to _hide_ his Hor-"

"Sh!" Regulus slapped his hand with the broken wrist over Peter's mouth and he let out a yelp of pain.

Once Regulus let him go Peter continued. "You said You-Know-Who wouldn't put his soul just anywhere. It isn't just a room full of anything though is it? It's a room full of hidden things."

* * *

Hey guys, the Tebow...I mean Broncos game is tonight! That's what I'll be doing. How about you?

Read and review and of course, have a great extended weekend. (Although, I think Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is only celebrated in the US...But enjoy your weekend anyways, whatever country you live in!)


	16. Dilema

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, and Siriusly loves Remus for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I have no ownership rights to the Harry Potter franchise. It's such a pity.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen - Dilema

At midnight, everyone was in the seventh year Gryffindor dormitory. Alice and Frank sat on Frank's bed quite aghast at the new information they'd learned. Ginny figure they were destined to be in the Order of the Phoenix anyways and she trusted them. Lily and James stood by his four poster bed. Remus, Peter and Ginny were standing around Peter's bedside table which had been dragged to the center of the room between the feet of each bed. Sirius and Regulus had just arrived and Regulus, just having removed the invisibility cloak, sat on Sirius' bed. Sirius put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Well done mate," he complimented.

Peter smiled. "Er... Thanks." He glanced up at Ginny who nodded her approval.

Back in the Room of Requirement Ginny knew it was the right place. A room of things that needed to be hidden. It was so simple she'd have been upset she hadn't thought of it if she wasn't so happy to have finally found the horcrux. And the diadem was right where Harry had taken it from, atop a warlock's marble bust. Exalting, Ginny'd turned and given Peter a kiss right on his forehead. "You're brilliant." He blushed madly but she hardly noticed.

"So what do we do now?" Lily asked. James laced his fingers in hers.

"Well, we've got to destroy it. Normal curses and spells won't really work I don't think. Harry used the sword of Gryffindor, basilisk fangs, and fiendfyre in order to do it."

"Fiendfyre?" Remus gave a shudder. He could hardly imagine James deciding he'd like to give fiendfyre a go and wondered if the fear of not defeating Voldemort really brought Harry down to that risk. Remus had only read of it in books and a formidable spell it was. Books merely described how it couldn't be properly controlled. Only the most proper witch or wizard with real ability and practice had any hope of magically quelling a fire that couldn't be quenched. And even then it was difficult. _A History of Magic_ told numerous tales of wizards blundering themselves into homelessness with a crispy, ashen pile of wood, in the best cases. At least they survived. Those that did survive were lucky, although survivors were scant few. The idea of using fiendfyre was chilling.

But if fiendfyre was anything to be frightened of Remus could openly admit he'd rather Dumbledore have a go with fire than hunt down the basilisk living somewhere floors beneath them in the Chamber of Secrets. Remus steps closer to Ginny who, thinking similarly, leans into him.

"The basilisk is untouchable. I don't know anyone who can speak Parseltongue, although I wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore could. Regardless, it's too dangerous to open the Chamber of Secrets. Not only for us but for the rest of the castle as well."

"There really is a Chamber of Secrets?" Alice asked looking dizzy at all the new boggling information.

"You know Moaning Myrtle right? She's the Muggle-born the basilisk killed back when Tom Riddle opened it for the first time."

"Don't you think it would be dead by now?" Peter piped. "That happened years ago."

Ginny shuddered, remembering the dead carcass of the giant and revolting snake lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets after Harry had killed it. "No. It's definitely not dead. I don't even know how we would find it let alone kill it. It's too much of a risk to let it roam the walls of the castle even if we could figure out a way how."

"What the bloody hell do we do with it then?" Sirius asked. He'd flopped on his bed but was now sitting up, one hand gripping the poster of his bed and the other scratching his temple. "We can't go on a basilisk hunt or we'll be looked at to death and we can't play with fire because it will bring us all to cinders."

"Shall we give it to Dumbledore? Have him figure to what to do with it?" Regulus suggested.

There was a murmur of consent around the group but Ginny hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked. Still under his arm, she seemed frozen with indecision.

"The diadem. Think about it, it's the diadem of Ravenclaw," she said incredulously. She picked it up gingerly, touching it with merely her thumbs and pointer fingers and read aloud: "'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.' Imagine how it could be helpful to us. Finding the others…"

"You're mad," Regulus told her.

"There's Voldemort's soul in it Ginny," Lily exclaimed as if she wasn't well aware.

"If you put it on it would make you wise enough to take it off," Sirius said sardonically.

"Don't you remember what happened the last time you got too close to one of his horcruxes?" Remus asked as though he'd witnessed it himself, which of course he hadn't. But his shock subsided when he saw her expression. _Of course I bloody well remember being possessed by Voldemort!_ It screamed at him. He paled.

"This is different!" she finally said after recovering from the flit of anger. "This isn't a diary. I'm not likely to depend on it like I did the diary. I can't talk to it and it can't talk back. I can't invest all of my feelings in it. It's quite a different type of Horcrux isn't it?"

"In any case, we can't bring it to Dumbledore now. It's too late in the evening," Lily said. Remus knew that wasn't true. With something this important Dumbledore surely wouldn't mind missing a bit of sleep to stow away a Horcrux so that it could be destroyed. But he figured she was letting Ginny have the time to decided what she thought was best. "We have to protect it before we can destroy it."

"We can hide it in the Invisibility Cloak," James offered.

Ginny shook her head. "I want to be able to see it. It'll make me nervous."

"We could put it back in the Room of Requirement."

"It's not secure enough. We don't know if anyone's followed us there before or already knows about it."

"Let's agree first that no one wears it. At least for now," Remus said. While he understood Ginny's idea that extra wisdom might come in handy, he didn't want any of his friends being possessed by Voldemort. He felt like he was possessed every full moon but surely Voldemort was a different more extreme type of evil. He had to be worse than a wolf.

They eventually decided Ginny will lock it in her desk drawer until the morning, when she will bring directly to Dumbledore before the first stragglers of breakfast. She doesn't seem overtly satisfied but agrees to it anyway.

"Will you come with me Remus?"

"Yes, of course," he replies too quickly.

The girls gave hugs to each and then retired to their dormitory.

Remus fell sideways onto his bed. He heard Peter dragging his bedside table back to his bedside. He thought absentmindedly if his hug from Ginny was actually longer than any of others' or if he was imagining it. Did Ginny still think of him as her teacher? She was always serious and respectful around him but when James and Sirius were around she became more daring and outgoing.

His mind reeled back to a few days ago when she was teaching them how the Patronus Charm in the Room of Requirement. Lily of course had mastered it much faster than anyone else had. Her doe galloped beside Ginny's mare around the group, even playfully circling Sirius and James.

"Blimey James," Sirius said. "As if you two weren't perfect together already!" And to demonstrate what Sirius meant it was only moments later when James' stag burst from his wand and went tramping around with the other hoofed creatures.

Ginny's horse disintegrated and shee looked rooted to where she stood. Her eyes locked on the stag. They all glanced over at her and she looked down at her toes. "It's ok. Just the same as Harry's," she explained. "I guess Harry's is actually the same as yours." In a moment her horse was galloping around the room again.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked watching the pair with perfect chemistry.

"Harry," she admitted, looking sideways at Ginny. She smiled though. "You?" Lily asked.

"What I always think about. You, love."

"Oh yuck, isn't it just terrible?" Sirius joked.

Remus was having the most trouble. At least he thought so. He'd already been in a bad mood. The full moon was only days before and he was still recovering. They still hadn't found the Horcrux and he felt a little betrayed. Ginny had been spending more time with Peter lately. Not that he was jealous over Peter. He was glad she wasn't downright terrified of him anymore. But he missed spending time with her.

With all this in his head he felt arms wrap around him from behind. "You have to think of the happiest memory you have. The happiest thing you can think of." And Ginny was holding his wand arm outwards and he could only think of her warm sweet breathe on his neck and her chest against his back behind him. He remembered her glowing expression as she watched the phoenix bloom in front of her, amazement at his clever magic.

"Expecto patronum," he said. A wolf appeared and she was no longer touching him but congratulating him nonetheless.

But Remus knew his feelings for Ginny were wrong. It wasn't his place. She loved someone else, proven by her patronus evaporating when she saw James' stag. She loved someone that no longer existed, his mind added bitterly, but he bit his tongue, fighting the thought. To solidify his feeling of wrongness Sirius, in the bed across from his, shook his head. They were alone in the room; the others were washing up.

"Don't mate. It isn't worth it. Not a good idea. Especially with Lily's developing Legilimency skills. Ginny told me she's let Lily use her pass to the Restricted section of the library so she can study it further."

That was that. If there was something that _Sirius_ thought was a bad idea then it was absolutely reckless.

The morning didn't bring much consolation to Remus. He met a bright eyed Ginny in the Common Room holding the diadem. He instantly thought that she was clever enough without the diadem and was quite glad she'd agreed to give it to Dumbledore.

"Wrap it in the cloak," she instructed and he did as he was told.

"Do you know what Dumbledore will do with it?"

"Keep it safe or maybe even figure out a way to destroy it. Hopefully the latter. Get one out of the way." She looked down at her seemingly empty hand. They walked out the portrait hole.

Remus had the idea to seem a bit more daring to Ginny. "Do you want to try it on before we officially hand it off to Dumbledore?"

"No," she said gravely. At his bewildered expression she apologized. "I don't mean to sound hypocritical. I was thinking about it in bed," Remus blocked the image of her curled up in bed pondering, "and I think we're lucky to be alive. I should never have thought to put it on. It's a wonder we didn't think of it before but he's probably cursed it. You know, so that if anyone did find it and tried to put it on…"

Now Remus felt exceptionally dim. Hadn't he just suggested she try it on? Isn't that the same as suggesting she kill herself?

As if reading his thoughts she said, "Don't worry. I know you meant no harm."

They made the rest of the way to Dumbedore's study with small talk, brushing off the heavy burden that Ginny held concealed in her arms. Nominal things, like NEWTS and the upcoming Quidditch game pitting Gryffindor against Ravenclaw and even the good weather lately, were a few of their topics. Neither of them really felt like bringing up the recent Muggle family that'd been murdered in their sleep by the parents of students they went to class with daily. They pushed away thoughts of those still in the hospital wing, the girl who'd been brought to St. Mungo's days earlier, tortured by Slytherins. Easier by far it was to talk of simple things, even while the lives of those being overlooked rested on them.

Upon arrival at the Headmaster's office however, Remus knew something wasn't right. The gargoyle was idley whistling a tune and he grimaced at Ginny when she appeared. Ginny grimaced back.

"You again," it said.

"Me again. The gargoyle's developed quite a dislike of me," Ginny explained.

The gargoyle huffed at her. "Since you chipped my ear, indeed I have. I've had that chip well attached to my ear for _centuries_. And you brush by it with not a care in the world. You're here every other night and I'm scared for my well-being."

"I do have a care in the world, trust me. We need to see Professor Dumbledore."

"That's bad luck then," the gargoyle told her and she and Remus gave looks of concern to one another. The gargoyle shrugged, having lost his desire to be angry with Ginny. "He's left the castle."

"Again? This is the worst possible time."

"I don't know what you want me to do about it," the gargoyle muttered but Remus and Ginny were already walking away. Students were now heading to breakfast and it was now that Ginny realized how bizarre she must look, apparently holding onto something while nothing was visible. It didn't matter much when there was no one there to look - the Invisibility Cloak was merely a precaution in case of an early riser. But since rumors about Ginny had spread (really since she arrived) students had taken to looking directly at her in the hallways and they were sure to notice, if they looked from the right angle, that her hand was gone. Or that her hand seemed to be wrapped around air.

Ginny and Remus slipped into an empty classroom on their way down to breakfast to meet the others. She recognized it as one she and Harry had once spent three hours in when they were together, escaping from OWL studies and well…Harry was escaping from much more. What did Harry do with the horcruxes he'd found before he could destroy them? Remus suggested putting it back into her dormitory locked up. But she wasn't having that. While she trusted two of her roommates, she was uncomfortable leaving the diadem, probably cursed to whoever wears it, in a room where two frivolous girls were quite unaware of its new properties.

Finally deciding she would hold it on her person at all times until the headmaster returned, she kept it wrapped in the cloak and neatly packed it into her bag and they resumed their steady pace to the Great Hall.

What they were to do now, Ginny didn't know and she could only hope that Dumbledore had gone on a quick trip and would be back within the next few days.

* * *

Thanks for your readership as always. Hope you have a wonderful week!


	17. In No Time

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, and DubheMalfoy for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

Also, I really enjoy writing. I hope you enjoy reading.

As usual it is the unfortunate event that I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen - In No Time

In two and a half weeks Dumbledore still hadn't returned and Ginny was becoming as anxious as ever. Carrying around the Horcrux was having an effect on her like nothing else. She was worried, irritable, and had no hope of concentration. All she wanted was to have Dumbledore return so she could get rid of damned thing. Having to haul around a bag with the diadem wrapped in the cloak at all times was annoying.

"I'm too busy Regulus!" she snapped at him one afternoon when he suggested they go into Hogsmeade together in the future. It was true that she was. But similarly she knew she shouldn't have yelled at him. She hadn't spent time with just him in weeks between concentrating on the Horcrux and her meetings with Dumbledore she'd had very little time to do much before even though he'd quit the Slytherin Quidditch team. And she missed him, his funny outlook on things, the way they communicated so well together. She was comfortable around him. But everything around her seemed to have a glaze of darkness on it and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was always being followed.

Lily was very helpful. Somehow, she understood the anxiety. Maybe it was the Legilimency or perhaps just her intuitive and caring nature that allowed Lily to side with Ginny when she was upset. But everyone had tight strings with NEWTS and Ginny's outbursts and James' Quidditch practices becoming more frequent.

Owls came into breakfast daily and gave news of murdered muggles, tortured people, kidnappings. And of course the castle was no safer. Professor Gayle had been removed from the Hospital Wing to St. Mungo's. No one knew why he'd been targeted…they'd all imagined him to be on their side. But his mad whisperings stuck in Ginny's head, in her sleep. _Ginny Weasley's next._

A few days before the match against Ravenclaw owls dropped word to James that his parents were sick. His father had contracted dragon pox at work and in her attempt to nurse her husband to health, his mother too fell ill. They were currently at St. Mungo's too.

"They'll be better in no time," James said confidently but Lily stroked his hair.

"What?"

"Well, I don't know that they will… You see, we know from Ginny," she looked over at Ginny, wordlessly apologizing for accidentally incriminating her for the charge, "that Harry is given to his last living relatives. He goes to my sister. So between now and 1981, your parents and mine pass away."

It took some time for James to embrace this truth. He decided it was better to die from dragon pox than to be murdered. It would give him time to say goodbye. After the Quidditch match he would ask Professor McGonagall to let him go to St. Mungo's to see them and help them get things in order if in fact they were to pass away. In all, he accepted it rather elegantly, if there's an elegant way to accept that in due time, you'll have no family.

"I'm sorry," Ginny later told him in private.

He merely looked at her pityingly rather than sorrowfully. "It isn't your fault. In fact, it's better to know. I'm prepared for it, or as prepared as I could ever be. You though, your tragedy was instantaneous. I don't blame you. And besides, my parents are older. They had me well after wizards are meant to have children. To say the least it isn't surprising. I'm worried about Lily though. She won't take her parents' death as easily. She's much too close to them. But I have to wonder. How do her parents die?"

Clearly, he didn't want to know for his own sake. Honestly, he looked as though he just wanted to make sure they weren't murdered and if they were was it possible that they could be protected.

"I don't know how they passed away, or yours for that matter. But I'd imagine if it were anything unnatural it would've shown in history's retelling of your story."

He nodded his agreement.

* * *

Going to the Quidditch match, Remus decided, would be good for them all. A little relaxation in the midst of these torturous last few weeks. He hoped it would glean some of the ice on Ginny's shoulders. Since they'd found the diadem she'd been different but somehow he'd expected it. Without it, it was as if she were playing hero, like a child's game. The diadem was not merely a child's illustration. Instead it forced into Ginny's mind how severe their situation was and how dark the war was. The full blunt force of realizing how much rested on her shoulders had masked the friendliness she'd re-developed.

Remus watched her watch James fly.

James flew with distinct expertise. It was clear that more than nearly anything else, flying was a joy to him. Naturally he was taking out some harbored emotions over his parents. He flew a bit more powerfully, threw the Quaffle with a little too much verve. Watching him fly effortlessly, weaving in between his teammates and his opponents with the Quaffle in hand and scoring time after time made Ginny remember her time on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She'd remembered playing both Chaser, her favorite, and Seeker, in place of Harry when the formidable Dolores Umbridge had banished him from the Quidditch pitch. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of that game…just like now Gryffindor played Ravenclaw. She'd beat out bloody Cho Chang and Harry had kissed her back in the Gryffindor Common Room. The best moment of her life.

"What's got you so cheery?" Sirius asked noticing her out-of-place smile.

She held back her blush. "Nothing really. I played Chaser for Gryffindor."

"You must miss it," Remus said.

She did but she knew her responsibilities and it only bothered her a little when James left for practice. He was captain. More than her desire to play Quidditch was the pang of seeing James before every practice and match. He resembled Harry so much with his uniform and broom in hand on his way out to the pitch each time, although his clothes were outdated and his broom, while the most anyone could hope for now, was nothing compared to the Firebolt Sirius had given Harry. Still, Ginny could never quite look at Lily directly because her heart would jump in her chest every time she saw James like that.

The match was going pretty slowly. The Seekers' brooms weren't very good and James, obviously the most practiced player on the pitch, was making goal after goal. And yet everyone around them was yelling and cheering as if there was nothing more exciting than this. But it _was_ the most festive thing happening. A Quidditch match was just the thing to bring spirits up, no matter how boring the match. No one was getting killed. It simply was something fun, frivolous even. No one's mind was dwelling on the worst for the first time in weeks.

Ginny though could not let her guard down. Not with a bag full of evil warlord's soul. She clutched it closer to her body at the thought, and tightened the strap. Remus watched her precariously, noting her careful adjustment and protection of the Horcrux. He walked to her left side so that the bag was between them.

Just as James made his twenty-seventh goal and Ravenclaw was down by much more than a Snitch's catch Ginny felt a tap on her back and she startled, nearly ripping her wand from her sleeve.

"Calm down Ginny, it's alright," Remus said soothingly, rubbing her arm. They turned to find a fifth year Ravenclaw girl, who'd jumped back from Ginny. "Sorry," Remus apologized, "she's a bit jumpy today." He smiled reassuringly and the girl blushed. Ginny couldn't help but think how deeply she did so. Maybe Remus did have a little charm to spread. She stepped closer to Remus.

"You're Ginny Weasley right? I've got a message for you from Professor Dumbledore." Now she had the attention of them all. While everyone was still apt at attention toward the match, Alice, Frank, Lily, Peter, Sirius, Regulus, Remus and Ginny were turned toward the envelope now in her hand.

"He's back," Peter said obviously.

"It's about damn time," Ginny said anxiously. She was tired of being worried sick over the diadem.

_Bring it, _was all it read.

"Time to go."

They all followed her down the stairs and across the lawn back towards the castle. Ginny failed dreadfully in her attempt to walk casually but she knew that it wouldn't really matter anyways. If they were watching her, whether she walked casually or not they would know something was up if they saw the entire group going to the castle in the middle of the Quidditch match.

"Ginny!" she heard Sirius call from behind her but it was too late. From her grip was swiftly snatched the parchment with Dumbledore's note. By instinct she stopped immediately and turned behind her. They were now in the Entrance Hall. It was empty but for them and about five Death Eaters in training. Ginny recognized Snape, whose wand was pointed at Sirius and a young Mulciber who easily directed his wand at Lily who wasn't even paying attention to him. She glared at Snape and he almost looked shrunken beneath her gaze. The others had their wands at Remus and Frank and Regulus. Alice, mother-like, had her arms out protectively around the fifth year Ravenclaw who for some reason had followed as well. Regulus and Peter had had time to take their wands out but daren't attack. Theirs were pointed at two Slytherins Ginny only recognized from the evening they'd attacked her.

"You know I've been wondering what you and our lovely Headmaster have been discussing holed up in his office every other evening. You're a tricky witch though, aren't you? Always finding a way to have us lose your trail on the way there." Ginny merely had the Invisibility Cloak to thank for that. Clarissa Haile opened the note. "'Bring it.' Bring what?" Ginny was silent. "I bet you've got 'it' with you, whatever 'it' is," she said with a menacing glance at her pack. She took long strides toward Ginny but stopped and redirected her wand at Remus, who must've flinched for his own wand in reaction. "Not so fast wolf boy."

Clarissa flicked her wand and Ginny's bag nearly dislocated her shoulder as it flew toward her. She simply turned the open bag upside down and dumped its contents onto the floor.

Ginny didn't know whether to allow her heart to drop or soar. The diadem was either still concealed in the Invisibility Cloak or it and the cloak were not there at all. Clarissa kicked her notebooks, quills, and useless school items around, scoffing at how pathetic it was that they were all second hand.

"There's nothing here but rubbish. You," she demanded, pointing her wand at Lily, "get it for me. If it isn't here it's locked in your dormitory. Go now. If you don't I'll," she positioned her wand in between Sirius' eyes, "blind you're friendly blood-traitor. Hello dear Sirius," she coddled with a scathing smile. "Let's see how he'll duel us then."

"It will take too long," Lily stalled. "Dumbledore is expecting her with it any minute. And it isn't in our dormitory, it's here on the floor."

"Lily!" Sirius exclaimed but she kept looking up at Clarissa desperately. Ginny didn't know what Lily was doing but a bluff like this was far too dangerous. But she had no choice but to go along with it.

"It isn't there. It was in Ginny's bag, so it must be _concealing_ _itself_ on the floor," Remus said. Ginny got the hint that he wanted them to try their best not to have the Slytherins discover the Invisibility Cloak, whatever Lily's plan was.

Lily caught on too and said, "Yes, it's rather powerful. I'll find it; just…just wait a moment." Lily put her hands half up above her head, showing she would not reach for her wand.

"What is this thing? I don't want you touching it if it's 'powerful' you mudblood," Clarissa barked.

"It's protective charms are powerful. It's a crown. It cannot do any harm."

After a few too long minutes of Lily crawling around on the floor, feeling for the Cloak and the diadem, and Clarissa barking that she should always be on her knees like a proper mudblood, Lily slipped it out from beneath the Cloak, just as slyly slipping the Cloak into her robes, unseen by the Slytherins. "Here," she said, holding out the diadem to Clarissa.

"But that's the diadem of -!"

"Silencio!" Sirius shouted at the Ravenclaw girl whose eyes went wide with fear.

"What did she say? What did she say?" Clarissa shouted and she whipped the diadem from Lily's hands and pointed her wand at Sirius. "You, blood-traitor, what is it?"

"It's the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw," Lily declared. "We found it. We thought it might be useful since it gives whoever wears it the utmost knowledge and intelligence. It works really well too."

"Really does it? We'll see about that." And more than anything, as Clarissa lowered the diadem onto her head, did Ginny wish Tom Riddle have the evilness to put a curse on the diadem.

Clarissa screamed when it touched her head, enough of a distraction for Remus, Peter, and Alice to pull out their wands. Lily leapt on top of the screaming Clarissa, who was pulling out large chunks of her hair in pain. She ripped the diadem from her head and threw it at Ginny. "Run!" Lily shouted when Ginny caught it. Run she did. Her wand pulled out, she spent stunning spells behind her, right as Mulciber was about to curse Remus. Clarissa was still wriggling on the floor, useless and jerking in every direction, quite mad. Snape sent a curse at Peter that he deflected well. Ginny jumped over Clarissa's body and up towards the stairs.

"Bombarda!"

"Diffindo!"

"Everte statum!"

"Sectumsempra!

"Finite!" Lily glared hard at Snape, whose curse was meant for Ginny's back.

There weren't enough of them to keep fighting and follow her so none of them did but it didn't stop her from running past everyone. Before she vanished around the corner however she turned, pointed her wand directly at Mulciber and yelled, "Obliviate!"

Hoping Remus would understand her purpose she turned the corner. So determined on her destination she did not notice the ghosts following behind her or the portraits running into others to watch her go. Up to the third floor and without even acknowledging the gargoyle she held up her hand and screamed "Diadem of Ravenclaw!" and it hopped aside.

"Professor!" she screamed further, throwing it onto his desk. "Downstairs in the Entrance Hall." She managed to suck in enough breath to continue. "They're dueling in the Entrance Hall."

At her words Ginny heard a loud _CRACK!_ And with an exasperated look at the headmaster he explained it was a house-elf meant to send word to the other teachers. It was a much quicker form of communication.

But she couldn't be settled down. "Where the bloody hell have you been! We've been here a lot of sitting ducks with a damned Horcrux to haul around for weeks while children are getting cursed left and right. How dare you leave the castle at a time like this! You're the reason no one's been killed yet. Don't you know how important it is that we find them all and take him _down?"_

She fell back into a seat, exhausted from worry and running and yelling. She wondered if they were going to be okay. How could she so easily leave them to their own defenses? They'd never really dueled before, only a little practice she'd taught them in the Room of Requirement. How quickly would the teachers be there to aid them? Would they attack the Slytherins, even though they were students? Where do loyalties lie?

She and Dumbledore remained silent, Ginny pondering all these things and Dumbledore merely evaluating the young woman in front of him.

"They're alright sir, all of them. No one hurt but the Hale girl. Still screaming. As she should be," one of the headmasters in a portrait said grimly. Ginny sighed in relief.

"Now that your worry is somewhat lessened, I must take care to say I cannot apologize for my absence. I have been procuring these."

And with that, he poured a sack of basilisk fangs onto his desk.

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	18. They Aren't Coming Back

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, DubheMalfoy, Daerwin45, PintoNess, Iwantyourmusic for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter 18 - They Aren't Coming Back

"How on earth did you come about getting those?" Ginny exclaimed wildly.

"The basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets is not the only one on the planet. I had to make a very special trip to Spain in order to get hold of these." Ginny couldn't imagine Dumbledore striding around a sunny Barcelona street in his wizards robes with a burlap sack of basilisk fangs hung merrily over his shoulder but somehow the image passed through her mind. "They were very expensive but I convinced my supplier to lower his price."

Unwilling to ask or to know exactly what kind of persuasion Dumbledore had used Ginny nearly leapt from her seat.

"It seems my timing is just a bit off however. What's happened?"

After Ginny explained to Dumbledore about the ambush she told Dumbledore that instead of punishing them they needed to have their memory's wiped. Lily blatantly told them it was the Diadem of Ravenclaw in order to get Clarissa to put it on so they could get away with the Horcrux. But if word got to Voldemort that they had found one his horcruxes, he would surely move them all, making Harry's memories worthless in the hunt. He agreed.

The shaking on the desk had been happening for a while before Ginny noticed it. The diadem, strewn upside down on Dumbledore desk was violently vibrating. It was sitting next to the bag of fangs.

"Would you like the honor?" Dumbledore asked.

Ginny remembered Harry's memory of stabbing the diary with the basilisk fang that he'd removed from his arm. He'd saved her from that Horcrux. And now she was saving him from one more; she would save him from the rest too. She took a cursory glance at Fawkes, who was idly ruffling and cleaning his feathers. He gazed back at her with his coal black eyes when he felt he was being watched. _I'll protect you_, his eyes told her. Without a second guess, she took a fang and thrust it into the crown, right in the middle. It screamed and bled all over Dumbledore's desk but he couldn't care. They were one step closer to destroying Voldemort. One step closer to letting Harry's soul not be tainted.

Down in the Hospital Wing part of the hall contained the Gryffindor fighters, Regulus, and the Ravenclaw girl. A quarter was full to the brim of patients that had been there before today and the other part was an area of all the Slytherins, including a wailing and writhing Clarissa. A shield charm, held up by Professors McGonagall and Sinistra, was cast between the first two areas and the latter.

Remus's leg was broken but mending. Regulus had a bandage around one eye but it already needed changing. Ginny wondered if Snape had hit him with Sectumsempra. Sirius was stalking back and forth in front of the Protego Chamr that blocked him from the Slytherins and Ginny realized it was up because of him. His proximity to Snape each time he passed confirmed Ginny's question. Frank, Alice, Lily and Peter were also unharmed, or had already been taken care of. Peter was in bed, but otherwise looked alright.

The Slytherins were far more worse for wear than Ginny's friends. Mulciber's eyes were sewn shut, done by a clever hand of Alice. Avery and another boy were literally glue together by their hands, unable to wield a wand to curse anyone. Those were the conscious ones. Two others were out in bed for reasons Ginny could not visibly see. Snape's jaw was dislocated and his right arm, his wand arm, was in a sling. Ginny remembered Lily's glare at him and wondered what else she'd done to him.

Dumbledore obliviated the Slytherins at once, although Clarissa was a lost cause. Madam Pomfrey called for her removal to St. Mungo's but Dumbledore refused it. Ginny understood. She must remain where she can be properly watched over, in case her wits come about and she speaks.

"That's all? That's all you're going to do?" Professor Sinistra asked, her pointed hat falling sideways on her head. "You aren't going to punish them?" Even Professor McGonagall looked rather pale.

"That is all that can be done unless we want their parents to fledge an attack on the rest of the inhabitants in the castle," Dumbledore responded intelligently. He waved his wand once more over the frightened Ravenclaw girl and her eyes glazed over. He turned to the Gryffindors. "Detention. All of you. Every Saturday evening until the years out."

Lily, who stood by Remus' bedside, gave a small whimper. Surely she was thinking of that missed study time. There were only five more weeks until testing. That's five more hours removed from her already restrained study time. Sirius merely laughed. Used to detention and careless about his NEWTS he was more interested in seeing what detentions with Dumbledore would be like.

Ginny understood immediately though. The young Death Eaters would wake up, not knowing why they felt the pain they did or how they ended up in the Hospital Wing. They would spill the story that they were attacked by Ginny, Lily, Alice, Remus, Frank, Sirius, Regulus and Peter. Their punishment for those attacks is detention.

* * *

Ginny couldn't have been in better spirits. They had the means to destroy the horcruxes. And one Horcrux had been destroyed. The basilisk fang tucked neatly into the packed luggage bag that Lily had given her for Christmas comforted her in the most bizarre way.

But this then enhanced her desire to leave. She'd wanted to leave Hogwarts since she'd arrived. But now that the Horcrux inside was found and destroyed she had no reason to stay. It reminded her merely of death. Although her new friends had allowed her happiness inside its stone walls for some time, she couldn't bear to have to sit through classes and tests when there were other things that needed to be getting on with.

Lily and Regulus took it the hardest. They didn't want her to leave. She assured them it wouldn't be forever. In just a little over a month it would be summer and they could see one another. They had to understand why she needed to go.

"I have a flat in London," Sirius suggested after Lily had finally stopped protesting. "You could go there. No one knows about it because my uncle gave me his inheritance so I could get it. I didn't want to burden the Potters' any more so I stay there over the summers and visit them on the weekends."

Privately however, James asked Ginny if she would like to accompany him to the Potter Manor. They had plenty of rooms and it would give their elves something to look after for a while. Ginny understood this to be a request not leave him alone to handle to burden of his parents' death.

The next morning she and James went down to Professor McGonagall's office.

"Morning Professor."

"Good morning Mr. Potter. I must compliment you on your performance yesterday afternoon. I thank you personally for letting that Cup sit in this office," Professor McGonagall said, although without much verve. An air of solemnity masked her. She glanced at Ginny and then back to James. "But I have to inquire. You never willingly come to my office. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Professor McGonagall, I got word a few days ago that my parents are in St. Mungo's. They've both contracted dragon pox," he explained and Professor McGonagall sighed with sympathy. "I don't think they're going to live for much longer. I'd like to take leave of school for a few weeks. I know there's only little more than that much time before I have to sit my NEWTS but I'll be back to complete them. I just need to get my family's affairs in order and be with my parents for a while."

She nodded. "I can send you straight to St. Mungo's through portkey. Just have all your belongings with you and I'll send you after lunch." After a moment of silence she admitted, "You will do exceptional Mr. Potter, in all that you do. Send me an owl please when you will return."

Directing her attention to Ginny now, Professor McGonagall looked even more sympathetic if possible. Ginny didn't know what Dumbledore had told her but it was clear she knew plenty to be going on with.

"I'd like to leave the castle as well. However, I should be upfront. I do not plan on returning for NEWTS."

"It's foolish for you to be spending all that time testing when you technically don't even exist," McGonagall agreed. Still though, she looked as though it pained her to let her leave.

They gathered in the corridor outside of McGonagall's office just after lunch. James carried a trunk and his owl and Ginny, her own trunk and owl, more than she'd ever had to cart to or from Hogwarts. Lily gave Ginny a hug and kissed James, whispering to write her as often as he could. Sirius had no words for James. They embraced but neither of them could really look at one another. Ginny assumed this was Sirius's way of mourning the Potters. Frank and Alice muttered soft condolences and Regulus asked James to thank his parents for taking him in. Peter gave both James and Ginny hugs.

Remus reached both arms over James. "All the best Prongs," Ginny heard him whisper.

"Same Moony. Protect her for me."

"For all my life," he replied. Ginny leaned into Remus' hug next. "Come back to me soon okay?"

"Okay." She knew though she never wanted to come back to this castle.

* * *

Ginny didn't allow herself to enjoy the many amenities that Potter Manor had. She kept to the one room James had given her and the kitchens. Mostly, she did a lot of thinking. About Harry, about horcruxes. If Mr. and Mrs. Potter were to survive this is where Harry would've lived. Initially, she did not want to go to St. Mungo's with James and meet his parents. She felt it unfair that Harry had never the privilege to even meet his parents let alone his grandparents. But when James returned to the manor after a long day she found it selfish not to. He kept up well with the stress but the pain of it, of being alone to watch his parents deteriorate, made James sink into himself. Without Sirius or Remus or anyone around to console him he became a silent mess. He spoke very little when they were both at the Manor usually over dinner that his mother didn't cook.

Perhaps he felt he didn't know Ginny well enough to ask for help. She'd never been any good at consoling others. It was always Hermione or her mother who would console her. She figured that now was as good a time as any to learn about death, from an up close approach.

"I'll go with you, tomorrow morning James," she told him one evening while they were eating dinner. Awner, James' house-elf had made them tomato soup with bread and butter.

He looked up from his plate in surprise."You don't have to. I didn't ask because…well, I thought it would bring bad memories for you. I don't want you to have to do that just to make me feel better."

Self-sacrificing, even now, when it's a petty request. He didn't feel distant from Ginny at all. He just didn't want her to be upset by more death.

"It's about time I learn to accept it anyways. That I won't get them back. It's been months and somewhere in the back of my mind I've believed I'll be able to get back home. To get my family back and my sanity. Like this is just a dream and I'm waiting to wake up. But it's not a dream, its war. Here and now is where we are."

James nodded. "We're going to have to get used to it," he said after some time of him swirling his soup meaninglessly. "Death, I mean. And this isn't even war, my parents. This is natural. We're going to have to get used to watching people get murdered."

The solemnity was good for Ginny. The elation she had after destroying the first Horcrux put her in too good of a mood. She needed to concentrate and she needed to comfort James. Lily would be angry with her if she didn't. Harry would be angry with her if she didn't.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter were conscious to say the least. That next morning Mr. Potter had groggily dictated his entire will and testament to James and a witness, another Healer, and a Gringotts goblin: "Everything goes to James." The goblin heartlessly wrote it down and left. The Healer waved her wand which made Mr. Potter seem to relax a bit. An hour later or so he fell asleep.

Mrs. Potter was much less infected than her husband, probably because she'd only gotten sick much after her husband had. She could talk normally but her body was in so much pain from pustules on her arms and legs that she tried very hard to keep from moving much. She looked delighted to meet Ginny, even if she first mistook her for Lily. Once the confusion had passed, James explained to his mother that Ginny was from the future and knew a lot about his own future. It was hard to make her understand without telling her of the misery Ginny had gone through but she accepted James' words as fact.

Ginny and James spent days talking to and comforting his parents. They sat in chairs a Healer had transfigured to be more comfortable in between their side-by-side beds. They did not have their own room. There were too many casualties for that. Instead they were in a very large room, lined with beds on each wall, some beds surrounded by relatives of the sick, others lone patients.

It took a lot of restraint for James and Ginny not to look at the other patients, most of whom were victims of Death Eater attacks. Healers did not spend much time on the Potters. One came every other hour to make sure they were comfortable and to give them food but that was all.

James' father passed away two weeks after they had arrived. He was only able to have a few final conversations with his son and one with his wife. James sat by his father for hours until his heart stopped beating. That night at dinner Ginny ate alone.

Mrs. Potter liked listening to Ginny. Ginny would sit beside her, hold her hand, and tell her about her son in the future. Nothing sad. Nothing harmful.

That he was going to marry Lily Evans in a small ceremony with Sirius as his best man. He was going to be in a group called the Order of the Phoenix, an organization meant to fight off You-Know-Who. He'd fight You-Know-Who three times and survive to tell each tale. He'd have a son, named Harry Potter, a brilliant young man who becomes just as brave as his father. James was going to grow up to be a great man.

Soon, she started deteriorating as well. James, too emotionally drained to continue staring at his mother, took to sitting in his chair at the foot of her bed. Ginny remained in her place, holding her hand. The last time she remembered coming to St. Mungo's she thought her father was going to die. At least now, Ginny could pretend she was comforting her family members before they died.

"Mrs. Potter, may I tell you a story?" Ginny asked late one evening. Mrs. Potter was particularly weak and Ginny knew it was only a matter of time, maybe even moments. The room was primarily quiet but for the sounds of snores and soft whimpers of bad dreams. James and Ginny had spent the last few nights here, falling asleep in their chairs, taking turns to watch over Mrs. Potter. James woke at the sound of her voice.

The elderly witch nodded her head feebly.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Once upon a time there was a young man, known to be the bravest man that ever was. He fought valiantly. At every turn he let courage itself step into his heart and roam through his bones so that he was unstoppable. Other men envied his charm and wit. Women were jealous of his true love. He courageously pressed forward when there was no path to follow or even when there seemed to be no going forward at all. He could never be defeated, even after his death. No one knew the secrets behind his greatness. No one except for another young girl. She knew his secret and had been trying to replicate it since she was a child. You see, she'd heard about his death when she was merely a toddler. He died protecting his wife and son from darkness. Everyone thought he was brave because he did not cower in fear. Because he was not afraid of what attacked him. But the little girl knew. She knew that this man was terrified. But it was not his fear or hatred for his attacker that made him brave. It was his love for his family, the desire to protect them with all his might. He was a soldier. He fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

Ginny felt Mrs. Potter's hand fall slack in her grip. With a tissue, Ginny wiped away the tears that had slowly fallen from her left eye down the side of her face. Her eyes had already closed. Ginny rested Mrs. Potter's hand on the bed and stood, ready to get the nurse but before she could move she was embraced, hard, and for a fleeting moment she thought that Harry was with her again. But it was James, holding her tightly. He said nothing. But Ginny felt the wet in her hair and on her shoulder, the burning tears falling from James' eyes.

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	19. To Be or Not To Be

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, DubheMalfoy, Daerwin45, PintoNess, Iwantyourmusic, harville98, Miss R.E. Mulvey, Forested, MuggleCreator, RavenclawSeeker19, and kerriberri814 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

And a special thank you to Lady Elizabeth of New York for saying the phrase "Loved it." Twice in one review. My heart swells in appreciation.

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And as usual, I don't really think I have to repeat this in every chapter but I feel obligated to and one day I will get tired of saying it and I will finally stop and this is a terrible run-on sentence and I don't own Harry Potter.

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Chapter 19 - To Be or Not To Be

Mr. Potter had told his son a long time ago that he had no use for a funeral. It cost money for no good reason and was gloomy and depressing for his loved ones and he'd rather them celebrate the life he had lived rather than mourn the end of it. In accordance to this, James invited the few close friends the Potters kept to the Manor and hosted a small party without much festivity. Small talk was exchanged between James and the witches and wizards that came, saying thank you for coming, and of course we wouldn't dream of not coming. The majority were elderly as well and had known James and his parents for quite some time. They told him stories about his parents when they were young, at Hogwarts, how delighted they were to finally have a son. Ginny felt entirely out of place since they all knew one another. She placed herself at the table of casseroles and drinks and helped serve but kept to herself. James lingered over a few times to make a few jokes about some of them, lightening her discomfort. But it led only to remind her of how Harry would've acted in the same situation and made her miss him more than she had since she'd arrived in the seventies.

Over the next few days, James ordered the rest of his affairs. He cleaned the Manor, closed off his parents' room and would leave for Gringotts to finalize his financial affairs and head to Hogwarts from there. In front of the fireplace, James instructed Awner to keep the house as she did usually and told her that he would be leaving for Hogwarts. While he was away, Ginny would be her mistress and she was to do everything that Ginny asked and do everything she could to make her feel at home. Delighted with the task, Awner gave Ginny's knees a hug and confirmed happily that she would. Then, James left.

Awner decided at once that Ginny should become familiar with her new home as she had not explored the manor upon arrival like most extended guests did. Potter Manor was much bigger than Ginny had expected. If she were honest with herself she knew that everyone in her family, including Hermione and Harry could each have their own bedroom in this house. Hallways stretched farther than the height of the Burrow and with all those floors Ginny had thought it impossible. Beautiful though. Why such a small family needed such a large home, Ginny couldn't fathom but Mrs. Potter did well to decorate each bedroom in warm colors that almost glowed when the sunset's beams showed through the windows. Ginny guessed they enjoyed having plenty of guests and thought of Sirius and Regulus.

When Awner finally left Ginny alone it was a whole and complete loneliness that she felt. What was she to do in this huge manor by herself? The horcruxes still plagued her thoughts but she'd promised James and the others that she'd be here when they returned from Hogwarts. Looking for horcruxes required her constant movement. Luckily, there were only two weeks left before NEWTS and another thereafter when they would return.

In three weeks Ginny made a mess of her room. The nicely decorated wall had been papered with her notes about Voldemort, his horcruxes, and his Death Eaters. On one wall were newspaper clippings of the Death Eater's current attacks, the faces of those who had died at their hands, muggles, muggle-borns, and all creatures alike. She realized quickly that he was further recruiting wizards and witches for allies, killing them if they did not readily agree to join him. He targeted powerful wizards, some from the ministry, some that were well known otherwise.

The next wall was dedicated completely to his forces now. He had plenty of Death Eaters but Ginny knew better than to be naïve enough to believe that was all. Ginny knew that he had used giants in the First Wizarding War and snippets in the paper confirmed it. The Ministry was having trouble controlling them, keeping them from walking muggle streets in the middle of the day. There were also rumors that he was using Inferi and people feared that he was using the Imperious curse on Ministry members. Ginny didn't doubt it for a moment.

Another wall was dedicated to the fight. The Ministry was having trouble keeping this secret from the Muggle world especially because it was a future target in the war. Muggles were being killed left and right and without any cause or reason, at least to Muggle officials. The Order of the Phoenix hadn't yet been formed but it was only a matter of time before Dumbledore let this go too far and she saved part of this wall for when that came to fruition.

Her final wall had no newspaper clippings but rather small notes she'd written herself. This wall was dedicated solely to Voldemort's horcruxes. Scribbles such as "Nagini the snake doesn't become a Horcrux until the second war," "Five horcruxes currently existing: locket, diadem, cup, ring, diary," with a line through the word "diadem," and "Locations known: Cave (undetermined); Gringotts (although currently unknown if there now); Shack (what bloody idiot would put his soul in a shack and where is the shack? Dumbl.); Lucius Malfoy." There must were nearly a hundred others of Ginny's speculations, things she was sure she needed to remember from Harry's memories, and her own notes about things she'd learned from Dumbledore about Voldemort and where he might hide a Horcrux.

Awner was initially worried that Ginny purposefully was holing herself up in her room and kept knocking at the door when she didn't appear for mealtimes or at all really. When she started punishing herself for not making Ginny feel at home Ginny thought right of Hermione and made a change. Ginny told her that she was just very busy but from then on went down for every meal so that Awner would not come looking for her in her room or begin to punish herself again.

During this time she also got owls from her friends at Hogwarts:

_Dear Ginny,_

_I miss you. Sirius wasn't very good company over the last couple of weeks. He's very depressed because of the Potters. It's understandable though. I wished I'd known them better myself. They were wonderful to me when I stayed with them. I'm sorry it was the only time I got to spend under their hospitality. Everyone's been studying for NEWTS. All I do is sit around and watch them, practice a few charms every now and then. Do you know what I'm going to be doing next year? Doesn't seem very safe coming back to Hogwarts, not for me anyway. I'd have to stay in the Slytherin dormitories again. I don't really need to finish school. I've been trying to talk Sirius into letting me just stop school and fight like you guys will. He's hesitant, doesn't want me fighting. Will you talk to him? We've got all summer to work on him. Anyways, I hope you're alright. Not many troubles going on here. Curious things though, I think Remus's letter describes it. See you soon._

_Regulus_

_Dear Ginny,_

_You wouldn't believe it. They've been rallying for you. Of course, more of them are getting attacked but they seem to care a little less than before. We've spread the word that you've been expelled for orchestrating the "attack" on the Slytherins. Soon after a group of sixth year Gryffindors put posters up all through the night and in the morning we woke up to them chanting your name through breakfast. The posters were brilliant. They said "Muggles and Wizards Unite!" and "Down with the Slytherins!" Professor McGonagall had to take them down by lunchtime but everyone saw them so it hardly mattered. She even smiled as she was taking them down. And I've never seen so many "Blood-traitor and proud" pins in my life. How many did you make? There must be a hundred students wearing them on their lapels._

_You're already making a difference Gin. It's only a matter of time. When the summer comes we'll fight. Lily wants to be an Auror and she'll definitely get the grades for it. Sirius and James do as well as Alice and Frank and Peter. Me though, I don't think I'll get hired, not in my condition. Dumbledore has been very generous to my situation but I think the generosity ends with Hogwarts. It doesn't matter though. You and I have other things to be doing right? James and Sirius say we shouldn't worry, that they'll keep us up financially. Between them they've got enough to raise a family without working a day in their lives._

_I'm looking forward to seeing you. Just a few more days._

_Remus_

_Dear Ginny,_

_How are you holding up? Thank you so much for being there for James. He told me what you've been saying to his mother. He really appreciates it. NEWTS just got finished so we're all eager to graduate. We're all determined to be Aurors. We'll be home soon and we can talk more thoroughly then._

_Lots of love, _

_Lily _

* * *

"Good morning Miss Ginny," Awner greeted at breakfast, putting a bowl of oatmeal in front of Ginny as she sat down. Today, everyone was returning home and with the prospect of a full house once more, Awner was giddy with happiness. There was even a smiley face of cinnamon in Ginny's breakfast.

"Morning Awner. You seem excited." She had made oatmeal to serve at least twenty. "They should only be here by noon."

"Master James sent an owl this morning that they were to surprise Miss Ginny and come early but he never said Awner couldn't tell Miss Ginny." Awner winked.

Ginny, still sleepy-eyed with mussed hair glued herself to the corner of the living room. In moments James was stepping out of the fireplace, somehow without a speck of soot on him. He looked at her and scowled. "Did Awner tell you we were coming early?" he asked because it was clear Ginny was standing there expectantly.

"No," she insisted, "look, my hair is still a mess and everything." She even held up the tie of her dressing robe which was coming loose to illustrate she'd just lazily gotten out of bed. "Come, let's eat. Awner's made oatmeal. Too much of it really."

Before James could say anything else the fireplace burned green again and now Regulus, unused to the Floo Network, came bustling out coughing and covered in ash. "Watch out," he warned once he gained his composure, "they're at it again." Ginny accepted the kiss he put on her forehead (had he grown two inches in the last month?) and he leaned against the wall beside her. "Morning Gin."

"What do you mean they're at it again?" Ginny asked but Regulus spoke to James: "The moment you left Lily started barking at Sirius about it."

"About what?"

"Isn't Sirius the dog? Isn't he supposed to bark?" James joked and Regulus laughed and shrugged.

"Mate, they belong to you. You deal with them."

"You could lay claim to your brother every once in a while," James argued, though smiling. "He was your brother before he was my friend."

"True but I'm on his side this time."

"Don't tell Lily but I am too," James confided.

"Besides going up against Lily is like a mouse trying to fight a cat."

"What the hell is going on?"

Again though the fire blazed as green as Lily's eyes and the witch herself stepped from the fireplace, threw a "Morning Ginny," to the corner of the room, turned on the spot to face the burning flames, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm going into the kitchen; call me if they start dueling. I want to watch," Regulus said with a dog-like grin that made him resemble his older brother remarkably.

"Don't you move, Regulus Black," Lily called before he could budge, "This is all your fault!"

"My fault? How?"

"It's because of you he doesn't want to be an Auror."

"He's got plenty of other really great reasons so keep me out of it. He wants me to go back to Hogwarts next year, I'm not exactly thrilled with him either. If anything, its Ginny's fault, she's the one who came back from the future," he said defensively.

"As if she had a choice!" Lily exclaimed.

"Then it's Harry's fault, he's the one who sent me here," Ginny, disliking the direction this new hostility was taking. Lily flinched but was silent. Just as Sirius stepped from the fireplace Ginny said, "The point is, it's no one's fault but Voldemort's."

"Exactly, that's why we have to become Aurors," Lily said exasperatingly, with renewed energy. "So that we can fight him."

"I can't be an Auror, Lily. We've been over this."

"Of course you can, don't be silly. You've gotten the grades for it, as well as the courage, you're a Gryffindor after all. There's nothing stopping you but yourself."

"And me according to you," Regulus added smartly.

"Stay out of it, Regulus," Sirius demanded. "Lily, it will take three more years of doing nothing but training to become Aurors. Don't you realize that we don't have that kind of time? In three years, you and James are dead and Harry is a Horcrux. There's nothing you can say to make me change my mind. I'm not becoming an Auror," Sirius said with finality and he stalked passed the red head into the kitchen without a second glance. She marched right after him and James, Regulus, Ginny, and Peter, who had just unsteadily fallen out of the fireplace, followed after them.

Sirius was sitting, already being served a bowl of oatmeal by Awner, whose tennis ball-like eyes gleamed with the joy of having more than just dreadfully quiet Ginny to wait on. Lil merely stood with her arms crossed beside him, staring hard at him, torn between hexing him and chewing him out further.

Without much of any other reputable argument, she desperately said "You mean to tell me you don't want to fight You-Know-Who?" Of course, she herself knew she was wrong and almost immediately regretted speaking up.

"Voldemort," Ginny couldn't help but corrected. Peter knocked over a vase of flowers which Awner hurriedly picked up before Peter could pick them up himself.

Sirius smashed his fist on the table and even Awner froze. "Of course I bloody well want to fight him. I want to kill him myself if it's possible. He murdered my best friends, made my godson a harboring piece of his own soul and destined him to a fate he could hardly handle alone, killed my brother, and had me imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years!" he exclaimed as though he'd actually experienced all these things. Half of Ginny wanted to sympathize with him. The other half was annoyed he was so upset about it when she was the one who had had to watch it all happen. "I want to fight him. I just…" he seemed to have trouble articulating the point he wanted to get across. "Just differently."

"What I think Padfoot is trying to get across to you, love," James said, pulling Lily's wrist to get her to sit and he sat beside her, sideways in his chair so he faced her, "is that we don't have to work for the Ministry to fight him." Lily glared at no one in particular. "Sweetheart, I've got to agree with Sirius. What more can we do as Aurors that we can't do already? We can create an office here, lord knows there's plenty of space for us all to live and work here. We can study and workout where the horcruxes are. We can train ourselves here and fight our own battles."

"Besides, who says the Ministry is trustworthy? In my time, officials were Imperioused left and right and the Ministry had been infiltrated by Voldemort. I wouldn't doubt it'll happen here. We won't be able to take one step without Voldemort knowing about it." Ginny recalled her dad and Kingsley having to tiptoe around work on a daily basis.

"And it's not such a good idea to have so many of us, who know the truth of You-Know-Who's horcruxes, lying right under those officials' noses."

"Excellent point Peter," Ginny complimented and it was very true. The note however was something she would've expected from Remus and that it didn't come from him was what made her realize his absence from Potter Manor. "Where's Remus?"

"Home," Sirius said. "He refused to come here."

"Why?"

James sighed. "He doesn't want to put us in jeopardy. You know, his furry little problem. We all think he's just being a prat but he thinks it's unreasonable to be here and possibly be responsible for our deaths even though we've gotten along just fine for the past two years as Animagi and even before that."

"But that's ridiculous. Like you said, you've gotten along just fine over the years. He's never been in better care than when you're all with him," Ginny protested.

"It's true," Sirius agreed. "But he keeps going on about how he won't have the same security blanket that Dumbledore always provided for him."

"Please," Ginny brushed off. "Between you and James we could buy him five security blankets. We might even be able to make him potion. His parents can hardly support themselves let alone him as well."

"We told him all that too," Lily said, deeply conflicted. "He wouldn't listen to us."

"In short, his point was that you Ginny, and Lily, are not Animagi, and therefore are at a higher risk to him. He's scared he'll hurt you and he won't forgive himself for that ever. Also, because you're focal to the destruction of You-Know-Who, he especially doesn't want to put you in harm's way, Ginny," Peter said, and again his friends stared at him in astonished awe at how he spoke and the degree to which his hidden intelligence seemed to shine.

Regulus leaned back in his chair. "What Peter so eloquently said is that Ginny's the only one who can put him right and change his mind."

"I've only been friends with him a few months. You've been friends with him for _years_."

James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily merely shrugged.

Ginny slumped into her own chair. "I guess then…I guess then I'll Floo to him tomorrow…

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it. So yes, please review! They make me very happy and desirous to write more frequently and update with much gusto.


	20. Wolfsbane and Weddings

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, DubheMalfoy, Daerwin45, PintoNess, Iwantyourmusic, harville98, Miss R.E. Mulvey, Forested, MuggleCreator, RavenclawSeeker19, kerriberri814, Cole the Demon Hunter, Blue Luver5000, QueenGuin, and dancer4813 for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

Blue Luver5000, this one's for you. Thank you so much for the eagerness and appreciation.

I don't own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter 20 – Wolfsbane and Weddings

He saw Ginny Apparate and enter the gate of the garden alone. One hand was slack and the other was gripping the tip of her wand, which he knew to be hidden just up her sleeve. From his window he could tell that she was anxious but maybe even a little amused. It only took her one day to come get him. Why he'd decided to make a big deal of this in the first place he didn't know but he knew now that whatever resolve he once had against staying at Potter Manor was going to wither in front the red-headed witch that was actually smiling at his disheveled and unkempt garden.

Remus turned away from the window and sat on his bed. Listening, he heard Ginny tap politely on the front door and his mother leave the kitchen to answer it. Ginny greeted her good morning and said she was there to visit Remus and Mrs. Lupin asked her to come in, delighted to have a visitor. He heard their footsteps go through the small front area, past the foot of the stairwell and toward the kitchen.

"Your home is wonderful," he heard Ginny compliment and he imagined his mother's look of uncertainty. The Lupin home was far from wonderful. It had two rooms, a small kitchen, and a small living room. Everything was cluttered together, nothing had a proper place to be, and there were no funds for decoration. Remus knew his home was plain at best. "Thank you, so much," he heard his mother say genuinely and he wondered if Ginny hadn't said anything just to be polite. "Please, have some tea," he heard his mother offer and Ginny accepted happily. "I'll go get Remus."

Remus dressed himself more properly, putting on jeans and throwing a robe over his shirt. His mother knocked. "Remus sweetheart, there's a young lady here to see you." Remus opened the door.

"I know mum. I'll be right down."

"She's very pretty," Mrs. Lupin commented to her son, leaning down and folding the pants he'd just dropped on the floor. "Polite. Honest."

Remus looked at his mother pointedly. "No, she's not." Realizing how the mess he'd made changing, he too bent down began to pick things up off the floor.

Mrs. Lupin nodded. "Ah, I see. You agree with me but you don't want to show it. That's the best way to a girl's heart," she laughed at her son. "Your father did that for years when we were in school. I guess it did work out for us in the end though."

"Mum, she's off limits in a very extraordinary way, regardless of how pretty or polite or honest she is," Remus told her bending down to pick up socks and books and quills that he'd strewn everywhere in the last day. When had he become so unorganized?

"So you mentioned, in your letters."

They finished picking up the room and then stood, looking at one another, evaluating each other.

"Mum, what do you think it would be like if you weren't a witch?" Remus asked abruptly.

Mrs. Lupin stood straight, facing her son. "If I never got a letter and was a Muggle?" She eyed Remus precariously. His mother always knew what got to him. "Remus, knowledge may not be easier but ignorance is not always as blissful as people think. I don't know what you're doing and it's got something to do with the young lady downstairs. However, whatever it is that you do I have faith it's the right thing." She held her son's face in both her hands but now that he was taller than her she could not kiss him on the forehead like she used to when he was a kid. She opted for both cheeks instead. "Now let's get downstairs. Don't want to leave Miss Weasley down there with your father for too long." She winked and went downstairs. Remus followed her, thinking of how much he was going to miss his mother when Ginny convinced him to leave home.

"Hello Ginny," he greeted upon entering the kitchen. She stood and hugged him. "I'm not going," he whispered in her hear. "Don't be silly," she whispered back.

"It's good to see you," he said aloud now. "What are you doing here?" he asked as if he didn't already know. She gave him a daring look which told him she knew he was perfectly aware of why she was here.

"Don't be questioning our guest so rudely. This young lady and I were just talking about the last Quidditch Cup. It truly was a shame the Swiss didn't get it, I was rooting for them. When I found out the Russians won I was just about devastated," Mr. Lupin said.

"The Swiss have always had a great team but never a good Seeker. If their defense isn't good enough the other team will surely win, whoever it is that's playing. But personally I enjoy national Quidditch competition to international. Easier to follow and much more fun than just getting sideline details in the paper." Remus hadn't known Ginny knew much about Quidditch. At least not this far back in history. He wondered if she was making things up and getting lucky. His father liked her anyways. Remus sat down while Mrs. Lupin placed an ancient tea set in front of them.

"I agree. Which team are you for?"

She gleamed. "The Harpies."

Mr. Lupin and Ginny bantered good-naturedly for a little while over which Quidditch team would be best for the league lead until finally the subject was changed.

"We didn't see you at the Completing Ceremony at Hogwarts this weekend," Mrs. Lupin said, with a light attempt at information gathering. Recognizing this Ginny replied that she was not to go back to Hogwarts after Mr. Lupin asked if this upcoming year was to be her seventh year.

"I was a seventh year this past school year. I have indeed finished my education. However, as I am sure Remus might've implied, I've become somewhat of a target for our Death Eater peers in the castle and I thought it prudent to not be present for the occasion." It wasn't necessarily the truth but it wasn't a blatant lie either. It would satisfy his parents at least.

"Mr. Lupin, forgive me if I'm out of right to ask but what sort of things did you try for Remus when he was younger? When you were trying to help his lycanthropy?"

"She knows?" Mr. Lupin asked his son and Remus nodded. "Well then, since you know our secret - "

"I'm not the only one. His other friends are well aware of it as well. I ask because we have the ability to help him, help that he has shown he won't accept."

Mrs. Lupin leaned forward. "Ginny we did everything we could. We depleted our savings trying to cure him. For years, we gave him everything we could. We tried spells, doctors, charms. Years ago the Wolfsbane potion didn't exist or we'd have bought him a lifelong stock of it. Now it's too expensive to buy and too complicated to make homemade."

"What if I told you that if Remus came with me, lived in Potter Manor, he would have a nearly limitless supply of Wolfsbane?"

Shocked into silence Mr. Lupin merely stared at Ginny. Remus' mother began to cry. If Ginny hadn't known how to get Remus to come before she'd figured it out quickly. His parents.

"Ginny, I'm not leaving my parents in the middle of the war," Remus protested.

"Yes bet your boxer shorts you are Remus Lupin," his mother commanded through her handkerchief.

"You know perfectly well that I've come to collect you. It's silly that you think we can't handle the difficulties that come with being your friend. We have all of the resources we need. And besides, I need you. You really think I can keep up with James and Sirius and the rest without you? I'd go mad."

At last, Remus' decision was made. He would start packing for Potter Manor as soon as tea was finished.

* * *

When Ginny had said she thought his home was wonderful, she was being genuine. In reality, Remus' home reminded Ginny of the Burrow: although this place housed only three, everything seemed to sit on top of everything else yet it still maintained the image of cleanliness that Mrs. Weasley had upheld at home.

That morning Ginny realized she could Disapparate to Remus'. There was no reason she would be charged for not having a license. Technically, she didn't exist. When Remus had all of his things packed he told his parents he would visit and write and they Apparated into a room full of cubicles.

Wondering where on earth they were, Ginny told Remus she had intended to go to James' living room right off the front hall of the Manor.

"Like the change in decoration?" Regulus asked when he walked in and found Remus with all of his things and Ginny standing alone in the center of an aisle of rows of enclosed desks.

"Regulus, where are we?"

He looked at Ginny like she had two heads. "In the living room. You're the one who Apparated here aren't you? Now it's our work room. Lily wants you to move all your notes to your cubicle. That one." Regulus pointed to the largest desk in the center of the room. "Remus, yours is over here," he said pointing to a desk on the other side of the room.

"This is brilliant," Ginny said. "When did you do all this?"

Regulus laughed. "You think much too highly of me. Lily did it this morning while you were out. Took her all of ten minutes to transfigure the furniture but another hour to design it right and put everything in the proper place. Worth it though, I think."

They spent the week organizing their desks, researching a few details and making a book of all the known Death Eaters and their information: personal information like age, gender, House, family members and Death Eater Information like who they've killed, their favorite spells and so on.

Lily did Snape's rap sheet personally.

Ginny did countless others.

Alice and Frank dropped by to let them know they had indeed made it into the Auror Academy and would let them know from the inside any sensitive information that may help them. Lily had told them they had their own desks at Potter Manor.

They also told them Frank had proposed and they were now engaged.

"It's so soon isn't it? They've been together for six months or so," Lily said to Ginny late one evening. She leaned against the edge of her cubicle, looking over the divider while Ginny wrote madly about Fenrir Greyback.

"In times of war there's haste in marrying," Ginny told Lily glancing up from her page. She thought of Remus and Greyback and his marrying Tonks just at the height of the war. And then dying anyways. "My mum and dad were married with two children in three years. My oldest brother Bill was married quickly as well. The fear of war brings people together as well as apart."

Lily gazed smugly at James who was teaching Regulus and Peter dueling tips. "Not with us apparently."

"Don't be bitter over it. Soon enough, you'll be married too," Ginny told her. "It's not like you don't have a friend from the future or anything that's told you that you have a bouncing baby boy. You'll be married within the next year, don't be anxious."

"You could get married too one day," Lily said. "Just like the rest of us, running off and being in love."

Ginny gave her a sad smile. "I suppose. But that ship has sort of sailed a bit for me, you know?"

Almost forgetting about Ginny's past with Harry, Lily apologized. "I'm sorry. I suppose with Petunia and her fiancé and now Alice and Frank and even me too I'm a little wistful."

That coming weekend, Petunia was to marry Vernon Dursley and Lily and James had been invited. Not purposefully of course. Lily had relayed the story to Ginny when she returned from collecting Remus and then fawning over the living room that when James took Lily home to get her things to be brought to Potter Manor they mistakenly bumped into Petunia and her fiancé Vernon. She tried, but Ginny couldn't imagine them young. The only time she'd ever seen Harry's aunt and uncle were when they were picking up Harry from King's Cross Station. She remembered Petunia being skinny, anxious, and out of place and Vernon being round, large, and often purple in the face.

"That's about how he looked when he saw me," James had recalled. "Blubbering man, probably scared out of his wits but too proud to show it."

Apparently, Lily's mother was delighted to have them both home at the same time and Lily thought it was of her own planning that she tricked Petunia into being home at the particular time she'd told Lily she could pick up her things. Vernon was going to play golf, a Muggle sport, with her father later that afternoon and were to have lunch with them. Lily and James were cajoled to stay as well.

"They absolutely loved James," Lily doted.

"Her parents loved me. I was actually myself this time round. Petunia and the extra-large Quaffle weren't so thrilled to see me though."

During lunch Mrs. Evans mentioned the wedding and was distraught to see that Lily had not only not been made a bridesmaid but had had no word of it from her sister at all. Lily hadn't even known she'd had a boyfriend.

"Your sister was practically forced to invite us," James said. "You could tell she didn't want us to come."

* * *

Saturday morning came around with a bit of a gloom for Lily. Ginny, Remus, Regulus, and Peter were to study and soon find some cases to work on. But Lily and James had to be ready for the wedding.

"I won't wear these!" James called from his room down the hall. Lily had asked Ginny to lay out the formal Muggle clothes on his bed while she put on her makeup and magically did her hair.

"You'd better!" Lily called back as Ginny zipped up her dress. It was a light lavender color with lace embellishments along the back and down her arms. Ginny remembered her dress from Fleur and Bill's wedding. But then again, Ginny had been looking forward to her eldest brother's wedding.

"You look like such a tosser!" they heard Sirius exclaim.

"You've looked like a wanker once or twice in your life too you know," Remus countered for James. Ginny grinned. She was glad he'd decided to come to Potter Manor, even if she'd practically forced him.

James was heard stomping across the hall and into the room that had been Ginny's and now the girls shared after all Ginny's notes had been moved to her extraordinarily large cubicle. He stood in the doorframe with his hands on either side, knuckles white grasping the frame. "I am not wearing this for your bloody sister's wedding to her bloody prat of a fiancé. He was an arse when we met him and I have no doubt he'll be even worse in front of all his bloody friends."

"You're not wearing it for my sister. You're wearing it for me. And because if you don't everyone of my relatives will think you've gone mad because they don't know and I'm not allowed to tell them and nor are you. Besides, you kept going on about Hogwarts and about your favorite charms and hexes. It was a wonder Petunia didn't absolutely _adore_ you!"

"Your parents kept asking! Shouldn't they know your sister hates you for it?"

"James stop it," Ginny finally intervened, stepping forward to right James' tie. "You'll go, see her married, greet a few family members and be off, quick as a whip. So quit complaining. Its worse enough that Lily has to deal with being snubbed by her sister let alone listen to you whine about Muggle clothes. Besides, you actually look quit handsome. Reminds me of Harry when he went to the Yule Ball. As a matter of fact," Ginny said in reminiscence, "I actually went with Frank and Alice's son Neville. How peculiar. Anyways, you should remember that the two of them raised Harry in my time. They were terrible to him but it made him humble."

James apologized and nodded his agreement.

Ginny turned back to Lily after James left. Her face was bright red, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that she was unwilling to let fall. Lily breathed deeply trying to compose herself.

"Don't worry. You can do it afterwards," Ginny said with sympathy. Lily nodded feebly, sniffled, and gathered her shawl and her bag. They met the group in the courtyard behind the house and she and James Disapparated together.

They Apparated right into Lily's childhood bedroom which was empty now but for some old things she didn't use anymore and her furniture. The ceremony was to be held in their backyard, outdoors. Lily looked out the window, relieved that the weather was so nice.

"You ready?" James asked.

"As I'll ever be," she replied.

They entered the kitchen together hand in hand to find Petunia, in a long white gown with flowery embellishments all over and their mother and father fawning over her.

"Morning Tuney," Lily greeted. Petunia glanced up and immediately looked furious at her.

"What is _he_ doing here? Get out! It's supposed to be a surprise, my dress. Get out!" she screamed.

"As you wish, Bride," James said and promptly Disapparated from the room. Lily gasped and shook her head, hoping he hadn't Apparated somewhere with plenty of people. If anything though Petunia was more irate and warned, "Don't you be letting that prat show off his…freakishness at _my _wedding. Now get out, only bridesmaids and mum and dad are allowed in here."

"Sorry," Lily muttered half-heartedly and went outside to find her prat of a boyfriend who she wanted to kick in the shins. Yes, he was less adept at putting up with nonsense than Lily was but she wished he would just shut his eyes and ears and pretend he was a statue for an hour. On her quest to find James (and hoping that he hadn't left her alone altogether) a few old friends came to greet her. Most of the guests consisted of Vernon's family. Lily didn't have any aunts or uncles or cousins and her grandparents had passed away years ago. She said a few words to those she recognized but kept her eyes scanning for the mussed hair of her boyfriend. When she finally found him he was sitting in one of the white folding chairs in the last row of the ceremony procession. Lily sat silently beside him.

The ceremony was lovely. Her father walked Petunia down the small isle, a minister said a few endearing words about love, life, and longevity. Petunia and Vernon kissed and the party removed themselves to another area of the yard meant for the reception.

"Brilliant. Let's sit by your parents, they're the only tolerable ones here," James suggested and Lily followed. James sat, gathered a plate of appetizers and struck up conversation with Mr. Evans, while Lily sat beside her mother without an appetite.

"You look gorgeous darling," Mrs. Evans doted just to Lily. "I can't wait for your wedding. You will look absolutely wonderful." Mrs. Evans eyes James. Lily wondered if her parents were even going to be alive for her wedding. It probably wasn't going to be a grand event and Lily wasn't planning on having a reception of any sort.

After the traditional festivities of the wedding there was dancing, though James and Lily didn't participate, and conversing, which James and Lily did only to her parents. Petunia was too wrapped up in her in-laws and a new sister she'd just gotten, some grubby woman named Marge.

Depressed, tired, and wanting to hex something terribly, Lily was just about to suggest to James they take their leave when from the table behind them they hear, "What does your sister-in-law's husband do?"

Vernon Dursley chuckled and said, "Just some kind of _magician_. And they aren't married. I hear her sister is somewhat of a trollop." Vernon chortled and his friend guffawed rather loudly. Lily flinched and felt her mother's hand brush her knee beneath the table. James had his wand halfway out of his sleeve before Lily shot him a warning glance. He banged both his fists on the table, turning multiple heads in their direction. He stood and stalked off."

"Temperamental, he is," Vernon added and they laughed louder.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart. He really is sweet," her mother attempted to amend.

"Yes, very charming. He's absolutely perfect for Petunia. Hates me just as much as she does," Lily replied bitterly.

Mr. Evans stood, gestured with his finger in a beckoning motion to Vernon who happily approached. When they were nose to nose Mr. Evans said, "James may have a temper but at least he has proper manners. If you insult my daughter or her intended again I will ruin your wedding at the expense of your wife. Both of you have unceasingly stepped on them all afternoon and I won't have it. Do I make myself clear?"

Vernon nodded, shot a glare at Lily.

"I need to get to James before he hexes the groom and gets himself arrested," Lily told her mother as if Vernon were not listening. Vernon turned red and went to find Petunia.

Leaving her mother and father behind she heard her father say, "She's going to marry that boy Daisy. To be honest, I like James better." She wondered if he'd said it loud enough for Vernon to hear. With small tears rolling down her cheeks she managed a half-smile. She followed James into the house where she found him paces furious circles and holding his wand.

"James, we can leave now. Let's - "

"I won't let it happen. I won't let the dirty prick raise my son! To him, we're magicians with no worth, no dignity, or worth respecting. We are of no consequence to him! He doesn't even realize he's alive because of _magicians_ like us!" For the first time he stopped and looked at Lily directly. "They will NOT raise our son!" he yelled at her.

Sobbing now, Lily merely managed to mutter, "I want to go home."

James sighed. Embracing Lily he kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. Just like that, they Disapparated.


	21. The Ministry's List

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, DubheMalfoy, Daerwin45, PintoNess, Iwantyourmusic, harville98, Miss R.E. Mulvey, Forested, MuggleCreator, RavenclawSeeker19, kerriberri814, Cole the Demon Hunter, Blue Luver5000, QueenGuin, dancer4813, Black160, Luke21, , GroovyGirl21, bluethurrunthadun, SakinaWithLove, fiorellaweasley, Angie Kangaroo, Slytherinjunkie20, Aeliid, NobodyLikeMe, Autodesk Rage, for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

^That is a huge list that makes me so happy. I can't even express in words how happy.

* * *

Chapter 21 – The Ministry's List

Monday morning after breakfast, a week since everyone had returned from Hogwarts Ginny and the rest hurried through breakfast so they could get to work quickly. After a week of getting organized and reviewing and studying the decade's Death Eaters Ginny sat at her desk ready to begin to really them and find Horcruxes.

Ginny's desk was much too clean for someone who was supposedly on a path to defeat the greatest and darkest wizard the Wizarding World had ever seen. She pulled out a few files on death Eaters and read through them, leaving them open and disorganized on her desk when she finished. She listed in her mind again when Voldemort had created each Horcrux. After a few more attempts at finding something productive to accomplish she let her eyes glance over at James' desk. But he returned to her the same clueless and lost expression she gave him. She was quite at a loss as to what on earth they should do now. Turning further around she realized everyone wore the same expression.

Regulus broke the silence. "We're organized and have all the information we've gathered locked in our brains. What's next on our 'to do' list?"

"Honestly, I don't know where to begin," Ginny admitted despite herself. She was supposed to be a leader. She was supposed to know what to do next.

"Well I think -" both James and Lily said. "You go on, Lily," James offered and she shook her head, gesturing for him to continue. James stood and pointed his wand to the far wall opposite the kitchen. Magically, it revealed their list of Horcruxes, where Harry had found them, where they could potentially be as of now, and if or if not they presently existed. The charm guarding the wall had been created by Remus and Lily. It required no spoken enchantment but only a specific and very complicated movement which, besides the creator, only James had mastered. Ginny hadn't bothered to learn. All the information hidden beneath the charm came from her mind anyways. That information had been seared into her brain when she watched Harry's memories. "We know," James said, "that the snake and Harry aren't Horcruxes. We don't have to worry about those for another four years. The main idea is obviously to get rid of those that do exist before all that time passes. Ideally, before Voldemort even targets any of us." He lifted his wand and a red mark scratched itself over "diadem" and two black marks crossed out "Harry" and "snake." "We need to figure out which is potentially the easiest to obtain and destroy and go after it as soon as we can."

Now Lily stood. "You're absolutely right. But I think something that is imperative for all of us before we go hunting for Horcruxes is to learn Occlumency." Ginny cringed at the idea, remembering how difficult Harry had found learning the discipline. It would take too much time for all of them to learn it and perform it well without detection. But Ginny realized how necessary it was and with a shock sat upright.

"Merlin, she's right. Especially James and Lily and Alice and Frank. You're supposed to face Voldemort himself three times in the next few years and he can't know that you know about his horcruxes. That will ruin everything. He'll move his horcruxes and will make a great and probably successful attempt at killing us all. The most important thing is that Voldemort remains ignorant of our knowledge about his horcruxes."

"So we need to learn Occlumency and find horcruxes."

"We'll need to make a plan before we get up and search for horcruxes. It'll be dangerous," Remus noted.

"Supplies. Things we can use defensively," Regulus said.

"We should probably get ingredients for Polyjuice Potion. Lily, you can brew Polyjuice Potion right? Harry told me Slughorn said you were good at potions."

Lily blushed. "Really? I mean, yes, it'll take some time but I can definitely do it."

"Good. We'll probably need a few Extendable Ears and Decoy Detonators too. We've already got _two_ Invisibility Cloaks, and plus the Polyjuice we'll be good on disguises," Ginny said aloud, absentmindedly scribbling each thing down on a piece of parchment.

"What are Extendable Ears?" Sirius asked with a laugh. "They sound wonderful."

The question brought Ginny back to her senses. She crossed out both Extendable Ears and Decoy Detonators. Of course, they hadn't yet been invented. She took a mental note to visit Zonko's. The must have something that could serve a similar purpose even if it wasn't explicitly meant for it. "Never mind that. Either way we're going to have to make a trip into Diagon Alley."

"We can't just up and go to Diagon Alley either. It's practically just Knockturn Alley. I went just before school and it was practically deserted. Probably worse by now," Regulus said.

"What do you mean deserted?" Lily asked.

"Remember my mum not wanting us to go to Diagon Alley, Sirius? I bet that's why," James said.

Regulus shrugged. "The only places still going are the ones needed and the ones that haven't made a peep about what's going on. Gringotts, Ollivander's…a few shops here and there. Most of them have closed down. Either attacked or scared of being attacked. A bunch of them are being controlled by Voldemort now. My dad kept telling me which stores are run by him. He would only shop in those…proudly," he said with edge to his voice.

"Then we'll go to every other shop," Sirius said scathingly.

"We won't all be able to go. There's too many of us, people only travel in groups of two, three at most but never alone," Ginny said and they all looked sharply at her. She nodded. "It's just like it was in the future I imagine. We need to be as discreet as possible."

"So that's our plan. Diagon Alley and Occlumency lessons. We've got to decide which Horcrux we're going to go after first," James declared.

"The ring," Ginny decided, twisting the one around her finger. "We know its location best and what it looks like." She held up her hand for inspection by the rest and Sirius let out a "Blimey! _That's _what we've got to find in a bloody mussed up old shack?"

"Yes, but it won't have a crack in it. And it's heavily, heavily cursed so if you find it, don't touch it. If Dumbledore hadn't been murdered, the curse he attained by putting this on would've killed him within the year he got it. And that's only because he was taken care of afterward. I imagine one of us would die from it." Ginny wondered if she should mention the Headmaster's interest in the ring when Peter, who'd been silently listening until now said, "Why would he put it on? He must've known it was cursed."

"I don't know. It must be something special other than a horcrux. But it doesn't matter. We aren't concerned about what it is other than a horcrux."

"Do we have any information from the Ministry?"

"Alice and Frank are coming over for dinner tonight to give us an update. We can tell them about practicing Occlumency as well."

* * *

Alice and Frank were late. They were meant to be at Potter Manor by six thirty but it was already seven and they hadn't shown. Lily was pacing a crevice into the living room floor. The Marauders were in the kitchen, staring at the food they were not allowed to touch by decree of both Lily and Awner. Regulus and Ginny sat by the cold fireplace on the small loveseat. She sat sideways with her legs over his lap reading the Daily Prophet. He kept tickling her toes. Luckily with all her experience from Fred and George's foolishness she was able to ignore it quite easily.

"Hey Gin?"

"Yes Regulus?"

"I was thinking… I want to go to Diagon Alley with you."

"How do you know I'm even going?"

Regulus pulled the top of the paper down to see Ginny's face. He raised his brows. "For starters you've been stuck inside this house for weeks. I'm sure you're just itching to get out and see what's going on on the outside. And you're the only one who could possibly imagine what we might need to fight a war. We all know it's going to come down to that, whether we find all the horcruxes or not. You're the only one who's experienced it. You've got to go."

Ginny mulled this over and nodded. He was correct on both points. "Honestly, I want you to come," Ginny admitted. "You're the only other one who even has any idea what the place is going to look like. You'll be prepared for the shock of it. And you know what places we can't go. It'll be a real help." Regulus smiled, relieved he was going to get to go with her. "And I think James should go too, but that's it," she continued. "He was a trouble maker at school but I think he's grown up. A lot. He won't cause any trouble and he'll be a good help if anything happens."

"Right," he agreed, releasing the newspaper. "Doesn't he have to study Occlumency though?"

Ginny shrugged and put the paper down entirely. "We all do. I don't think Voldemort is going to be strolling down Diagon Alley to read our minds though. The small group of us isn't a threat to him just yet. We've just left school after all."

"Right," he said again.

Before they could say anything else someone knocked at the door and without a wand raised, Lily leapt for it. Frank and Alice were there, greeting the redheaded witch with tired smiles. Ginny stood and approached them warily.

"What is Lily's and James' future son named?" she asked them before embracing them.

Confused, they looked back at one another. "Harry?" Alice said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Yes. Lily, I know it doesn't seem as dire now but we need to get into the habit of double checking our friends just as we would someone suspicious. Don't underestimate the Imperius Curse and Polyjuice Potion. We discussed that this morning."

"I'm sorry, you're right. I lost my head." She turned to Alice. "What did we decide when Ginny wouldn't speak to us?"

"That we'd show her we wanted to help whether she liked it or not," Alice said proudly.

Despite knowing how bitter she'd felt about it at the time, Ginny blushed.

"Are you practicing Lily?" Regulus asked from the loveseat. "You know Ginny just confirmed they are who they are. Or whatever."

Lily blushed again. "Regulus, aren't you hungry? Go into the kitchen with the rest of the boys," she bantered playfully, pointing to the kitchen entrance. "Come on, all of us are starving. You can tell us why you're late over meat pie."

"Thank Merlin," Sirius said when Frank and Alice walked in. He stood and hugged her. "Awner wouldn't let us eat until you'd arrived. I'm starving."

"Not worried for our wellbeing or anything were you?"

"Not at all! You'd better have a good explanation. My stomach is quite angry."

They didn't get to talking until they were done eating though, which only took a mere fifteen minutes. There was no time in between bites to say anything. But when they'd removed themselves to the living room and Frank and Alice had been shown their own shared cubicle they discussed shortly the need for them to study Occlumency. They quickly agreed and they all arranged to practice daily. James suggested a room in the house to use explicitly for practicing Defense of any sort. Finally, they began to explain why they'd been late.

"We've got to go careful from now on. It's bloody insane at the Ministry. They've written a list," Frank said.

"We stayed after the meeting because we tried to get you off of it," Alice went on. "The Minister of Magic must be mad to have agreed to make it."

"You spoke to the Minister yourself?" Remus asked.

"We had no choice! And it was fruitless anyways. You're all still on it. There was no way we could get ourselves off of it because we're at the Academy. But if we could've gotten you off the list it would've been helpful."

"Wait. Explain the point of the list. Why is it so important that we're _not_ on it?" Ginny asked.

Frank sighed. "Lucius Malfoy came up with the list which is no shocker there. They think he's some young and growing aristocrat just because he pays them to think that way. But either way, at least we know it's true purpose. To the Ministry it is a list of those we can trust. The witches and wizards that are on 'our side' and will potentially fight for the Ministry. Malfoy is on the list himself."

"It's really just a hit list made for the Death Eaters. The Ministry has created its own folly. The Death Eaters will just kill every person listed like target practice," Sirius said. "And we're on it?"

"All of you but Ginny and Regulus," Alice said. Sirius looked somewhat relieved for his younger brother. "But that doesn't mean much. The Death Eaters already know about both of them. Ginny wasn't placed on the list because she technically doesn't exist. When her name was mentioned the higher-ups laughed, knowing Arthur and Molly Weasley didn't have a daughter."

"You don't think that would put my parents in danger do you?" Ginny asked and Frank shook his head.

"No I don't but it does make things a bit simpler for you. The Ministry can't detect you or your magic. You're quite invisible to them, which could be an advantage."

"But that the Death Eaters know about you is a disadvantage either way," Alice continued. "Regulus isn't there I assume because Malfoy didn't want to mention he knew you'd gone to stay with James and your brother because that would suggest he's in contact with Bellatrix and the like, giving away his cover. But it won't be long before the Ministry gets word and puts him there too."

Lily shook her head. "But I don't understand. We're not affiliated with the Ministry. Why are we on that list?"

"Your anti-You-Know-Who leanings are quite noted and I can only assume it was Snape who'd led them to believe that. You all made it obvious at Hogwarts that you disagreed with Death Eater philosophy and word got around pretty quickly."

"We've had a death sentence put upon us. What did the Minister say when you asked him to remove us?" Remus asked.

"'No.' He wouldn't hear about removing anyone from the list and we weren't the only ones to ask. There was an Auror asking to have his wife removed and the Minister gave him a blatant 'no' like he did us. You don't think he's Imperiused do you Ginny?"

Ginny thought for a moment. Somehow, it reminded her more of something Cornelius Fudge would do rather than Pius Thicknesse. She shook her head. "I don't believe so. I think he's just desperate to show that he's accomplished something."

For hours they discussed other things happening in the Ministry. How difficult it was becoming to cover up magical mayhem from muggles across the country. Muggles were being murdered by the dozen a day for no apparent reason to them. Of course, Death Eaters were just doing it for sport. They'd caught a man named Lestrange and imprisoned him in Azkaban. Ginny figured it was Bellatrix's father-in-law and Bellatrix and her husband were probably furious. The Ministry would pay for that of course. Also, the Ministry was considering closing the Auror Academy and just promoting the students directly to be Junior Aurors.

"That's a great way to get under-experienced witches and wizards killed. They're really thinking about putting untrained fighters out there?"

"They're really that desperate," Alice nodded. "The only bright side is that we'll have more, if only a bit more, influence on what cases we go after. In the Academy, they choose for us."

"Bloody hell," Sirius said. "The Ministry is going to get us all killed in their attempt to keep us alive."

Ginny agreed. More than anything did she want Dumbledore to organize the Order of the Phoenix. They needed it now more than ever.

* * *

The next morning was a mess when Ginny tried to discuss who would accompany her to Diagon Alley over breakfast.

"Explain to me why Regulus is going? In fact, why do you even have to go?" Sirius asked Ginny.

"Yea, why does Regulus get to go?" Remus asked and Sirius elbowed him in the arm.

"We're going because we are the least familiar to them as adversaries. You heard Alice. The Ministry already considers you all as allies, not civilians. Lucius Malfoy I bet has already given that list to Voldemort name for name and out of the lot of us, Regulus and I are the only ones not on it. The Ministry hasn't considered Regulus' part in the war and they don't know I exist."

Sirius huffed. "Exactly. They aren't familiar with you. So why send you out where they can become familiar with you?"

"The Death Eater's know Regulus is with Sirius. Bellatrix was on the platform at Christmas and saw him go home with the Potters. They must assume he's on our side even if he isn't on that list. And same with you. They think you're responsible for staging a coup against all the Death eaters at Hogwarts. Just because you're not on some list doesn't mean they don't know anything about you," Remus argued. "You're best kept at home where we can protect you."

If Ginny were honest with herself she knew he was right. But they knew pretty much everything she did, except a few sensitive pieces of information, enough to go on without her anyways. But like Regulus said, she'd been cooped up in the manor for weeks now and she was going to take every opportunity she could to get out and do something productive. "They won't bother me. They'll wait for more information. Watch to gather intell."

"What if they decide they don't care and kill you anyways?" Regulus asked. "We can't afford to lose you of all people." He wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders and squeezed. She didn't know why he was being so protective all of the sudden. The evening before he'd practically told her she was going before she'd even decided to go.

Remus forced himself not to glare at Regulus. But he agreed with him, regardless of how touchy feely he was becoming toward Ginny.

"He's right Ginny. James and I will go," Remus said.

"I have to go. I know what to look for," Ginny protested.

"Make us a list," Remus insisted.

"Because we know how great lists are these days," she retorted. "It's not like I've been to Diagon Alley in this decade. For Merlin's sake Remus, I'm going," Ginny said. Ginny had the fleeting feeling that this was what Harry always felt like. Wanting to fight and to protect but whose own protection was always more important to everyone else.

"I still don't see why Regulus has to go," Sirius said and Remus was grateful he'd said so first. "He's young and they're blood-thirsty. I'll go."

Finally, Lily jumped in. "Regulus is going because he was the last person in Diagon Alley. He knows what's going on there best and where to go. Ginny is going because she knows what to purchase. James is going because he won't lose his head trying to _protect_ someone if anything happens. Now let it go," she commanded Sirius and Remus. "However, I do agree that you should be a bit more protected Ginny. You should wear the Invisibility Cloak."

"That's my girl," James said, kissing Lily on top of her head. "Brilliantly said."

"Perfect. Now let's go," Ginny said, pushing her porridge from in front of her and whipping out her cloak. She wrapped it around her neck so that only her floating head could be seen.

They all gaped at her. "Now?"

"Will there be a better moment?" Ginny asked honestly. The perplexed faces of her companions shifted to acceptance.

* * *

Please, please, please excuse the lateness of this update. After two weeks of midterms and writer's block I have desperately concocted something almost worth posting. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, do me the honor of reviewing! I love getting feedback from you guys.


	22. Family Unties

**Thanks to: TimeToWriteIsHistory, Kellsabelle, dhmhtra375, PHSYCOSUE, CookieBandit, Jokegirl, cubye4, Lissa powers, Contagious Pickle, Thydude, hetero-bi, emcee31, nalaagirl, bookworm71717, BeeUtifulgirl, amyjzzzzz96, melred, Dimcairien, PrimroseAmelia, potterfan91, Lady Knight Aria of Haven, linabug321, ctc, Bella-with-the-blue-eyes, 94pinkflowers, bookmountain77, Daughter of the Black, mayejrmorris, OhhKae, Frostyfriend96, President spy, CarinaJones, JemmadA, BlackGryphon101, TheLegendaryManHimself, -Sirius-Black, viva gal, Wishtofly, Tipear, Jessica682, Leah Andrea Black, GrizzlyBear2511, Sims addict, Scarlett Angelica Potter, GilmorePotterAddict, SaRaPiE, ForeverEvolving, Missy Skywalker, Lyssasoulless, StoriesAreMagic, Nymphadora200, Grislibar, Lady Elizabeth of New York, Thalia Grace Pikachu, Earn, Siriusly loves Remus, dreamless96, DubheMalfoy, Daerwin45, PintoNess, Iwantyourmusic, harville98, Miss R.E. Mulvey, Forested, MuggleCreator, RavenclawSeeker19, kerriberri814, Cole the Demon Hunter, Blue Luver5000, QueenGuin, dancer4813, Black160, Luke21, , GroovyGirl21, bluethurrunthadun, SakinaWithLove, fiorellaweasley, Angie Kangaroo, Slytherinjunkie20, Aeliid, NobodyLikeMe, Autodesk Rage, My Current Reading List, LivingInTheClouds, you regret it, for favoriting, alerting, or reviewing. :D**

**Do you all know why you're listed up here? In bold? Because you're the most important.**

* * *

Chapter 22 - Family Unties

Diagon Alley was not as bad as Ginny had thought it was going to be. To James and Regulus though, it was much, much worse. After slight inspection the only thing that eased Ginny was that many of the harmless shops were still open, although darker than usual. In her past, even Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour had been not only closed, but boarded up. Otherwise, the alley had not changed much since the last time Ginny had been there. Half of it was deserted, a quarter of it was destroyed, and the other quarter was trying to be as silent as it possibly could. Even the joke shop, which Ginny could hardly imagine how it had remained in business, was open but seemed gloomier than a joke shop should've been from the outside.

"It's a like a ghost town. No wonder mum refused to let me come during the summer," James said in awe. Even Regulus was choked with surprise. Apparently it had grown even more desolate than when Regulus had been there just before school.

"This is not how it was over the summer. I don't know if I'll be much help. I'd bet all the places are controlled by-"

"Hush," Ginny quieted him.

"You hush," he threw almost playfully over his shoulder. Almost playfully because this was not the time to be cheery. It would make them noticeable and that was the last thing they needed. But nevertheless he was right. She had to remember she was not there. She was under the Invisibility Cloak. "Knockturn Alley is flourishing though," Regulus said.

"I bet," Ginny muttered, and then she reminded herself again she was meant to be invisible.

Regulus went on as if Ginny had not spoken. "People are afraid they're going to be cursed just walking down the road. Most have their things owl shipped. We should've done that. Would've saved us an argument."

"No, we have to be here. I'll bet they're intercepting any owls that come our way if what Alice and Frank said about that list is true. The Ministry is thicker than I thought, making a list like that. Why can't they see that Malfoy's a scumbag," James said.

"Would you've thought so if not for her?" Regulus said jerking his head between them. Ginny wanted to slap him.

"Yea I would've. He was a scumbag at Hogwarts for all those years. It wasn't very difficult to tell. He's like the rest of them. Pure blooded and cold hearted."

Regulus sighed. "So do you really think you're on their radar so soon? I mean you've just left school."

Ginny wished they would shut up about it. If they were being watched and overheard this was not the conversation that would do them any favors. But Ginny kept her mouth shut. She was not there.

"I know. But they won't take any chances I don't think. Especially because we're not run by anyone. We've got no rules to play by."

Ginny kicked them each in the shin and they got the message, changing the subject to the weather.

The three of them - or two of them to anyone else's eye - went about their errands as discreetly as could be. They kept their heads down, conversed quietly with no one but themselves, and were quick. Ginny's ears shifted between their purposefully mundane conversation and properly taking in her surroundings. There were slight variations to the façade of Diagon Alley to the alley in her time. Like the pictures in the wanted posters that were painted on every window. The Ministry of Magic poster held photos of different wanted wizards that Ginny did not recognize with the slogans "Unyielding and dangerous," "At Large," and "Aims to Kill" written across their heaving chests. Ginny allowed their faces to be seared into her memory.

To Ginny's disappointment many of the stores she'd planned on going to were either deserted or had not been founded. All places of gathering, like restaurants or tea shops were boarded up. No one wanted to stay and chat. Most shops had a sign saying "Owl Delivery Only" on their doors. Others did not have doors. The most tragic of course was that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had not been founded. In fact, it's founders had not even been born.

The broom shop was open though and Ginny had James purchase four of the fastest broomsticks which were Cleansweeps. She grunted when she thought of Harry's Nimbus 2000 and then his Firebolt. She didn't know if Harry had needed a broomstick. Actually, she was sure he'd dropped his miles from the ground on his way to the Burrow. And they could Apparate of course. But they had the resources and if they ever ended up in a place like Hogwarts, where they wouldn't be able to, she hoped then that they would come in handy. Magical Menagerie was closed so she bought extra rat tail when they went into the Apothecary to buy potions ingredients. James decided to buy a bit of everything. Not because they needed it, although who knew if it would come in handy. But the only potions they were planning on brewing were Polyjuice Potion and Wolfsbane, two very distinct potions. Buying everything would disguise their real intentions if they were being watched. Finally Ginny bought a few Sneakoscopes and a Foe glass.

"I think that's about it. Are we ready?" Regulus asked.

Ginny pushed James in the direction of Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. "I think we should take a run through Gambol and Jape's. It may not be open for much longer." Regulus looked at James like he had multiple heads but followed anyways.

"We're going to have to go in there aren't we?" James asked a few moments later as they passed Gringotts.

"Not really strolling in, though will we?" Regulus muttered.

Inside of the joke shop Ginny searched for anything that would duplicate the use of her twin brothers' Extendable Ears and Decoy Detonators. And there were many options to choose from. True, joke shops were meant to be in disarray but the store was unusually overly stocked. Ginny had never seen so much in one room. She assumed the cause was parents who were not allowing their kids to shop in Diagon Alley or spending their precious galleons on joke toys. Either way she was glad to have plenty of options. Without the inspiration of the everyday Skyving Snackbox, Ginny tried her hardest to channel her inner Weasley twin to somehow find creative replacements for these useful jokes. She bought the same fireworks her brother's had used in her fourth year to escape the dreaded Dolores Umbridge. She figured if they were used properly they could have the same effect as a Decoy Detonator. If anything, they'd be a good distraction to make an escape just as they had. She picked up a Whispering Flower. They could pick up anything said and then whisper it back to you when you wanted to eavesdrop.

James bought a few other things that Ginny had not paid attention to. He looked wistful, perhaps nostalgic of his pranking days at Hogwarts. But she trusted him fully to be thinking in the same manner she was: all this to defeat Voldemort… to save Harry.

After they left the shop Ginny felt good about the trip as a whole. They'd gotten everything they needed and more, shoved away into a bag that of course made Ginny think of Hermione. A small bag with no bottom. Ginny was reaching into this bag when she saw her however. Immediately, she closed it tight and slung it around her wrist.

Bellatrix Lestrange approached Regulus with conviction like Ginny had never seen. Her long strides brought her to them in mere seconds. "Hello Reggie," she sneered, speaking to him as if still family. "How is my favorite cousin getting along? Taking a stroll with a…_friend?_" She gave James a demeaning grimace and smiled once more.

"Afternoon Bella," he replied as cordially as he could muster. His lips were too tight though for true sincerity. "Yes, just visiting the Alley, seeing what's new." She glared. He pulled a smile over his teeth. "Or rather, what's destroyed. Your lots done well I see."

More than anything did she want to yell at him for saying something so idiotic! Why would he want to rile her up now, when things had gone so splendidly? She was going to kill him if this was some family issue. Her wand slipped from her sleeve and pointed directly at Bellatrix's face.

"My lot? You mean your family? The graceful human beings that _raised you_?"

"My friends and I share the same ideology. The same _morals_," he growled. James looked as though he too wanted to reveal his wand but that would only spark a reaction from Bellatrix.

Bellatrix scoffed. "But not the same _blood. _You've abandoned us."

"I don't think of it that way."

"Hm. Well, what are you? A mudblood? Are you running around with mudbloods these days Regulus?" she asked looking James up and down. Ginny could practically hear her mind saying how she could destroy the both of them.

"I'm a pure-blood," James stated simply, merely wanting to remove them from the situation.

"That's a relief at least. Regulus, I'll be sure to tell Aunt Walburga what a disappointment you are too. She had such high hopes for you."

Regulus nodded. "You do that."

Bellatrix turned on her heal and James and Regulus walked away in the opposite direction. Ginny walked backwards and saw, after she was a good fifteen feet away, Belltrxi swish around and send a silent curse right at her.

The curse meant for the back or James' head would've hit Ginny square between the eyes had she not yelled "Protego!" The Unforgivable gave way before the shield and Regulus and James turned instantly, wands drawn. Bellatrix's expression grew livid. "Is that little troublemaker from Hogwarts hidden? That girl! Crucio!" she sent a number of other curses in their general direction and Regulus, James, and Ginny deflected them all.

"Relashio!" Ginny yelled when she found an opening to attack and a gash the size of a whipping lash opened itself over Bellatrix's neck and collar bone. She screamed and out of nowhere curses were flying in their direction from origins unknown to them. Regulus was hit in the shoulder by a blasting curse and he moved behind a doorway to protect himself. James pointed his wand down the alley and hit something lurking behind a tower of boxes that they could not make out.

"Don't you curse my wife you dirty blood-traitor!" they heard and for the first time Ginny encountered Rodolphus Lestrange. He was not tall and was thin but looked nastily excited by the fight in the same way Ginny remembered his wife being. He threw the same curse at James that Ginny had hit Bellatrix with, thinking it was he who had attacked her, seeing no one else.

"Sweetheart, there's another one. She's hidden somewhere, disillusioned!"

The word "sweetheart" coming from Bellatrix Lestrange's lips made Ginny shudder. Ginny had never thought of the conniving witch as one of a pair, as someone who was married. She'd always ignored the knowledge that she'd been married and only dwelled on how in love and devoted she was to Lord Voldemort. She was a sick woman.

More spells were sent randomly. Ginny dodged most of them, the other being deflected by Regulus who was not being targeted until a meaty Death Eater beside Rodolphus saw him counter attack. Ginny sent a stunner at Rodolphus and hit him right in the abdomen. He flew back five feet into a disbanded selling cart.

With the momentary break in offensive spells headed in their direction, Ginny ran to James and grabbed his arm, dragged him over to Regulus. Just before she took his hand and Disapparated a curse hit her leg but they were already gone.

They crashed into the grass twenty feet from the entrance to Potter Manor and Ginny tore the cloak off of her to examine her knee. Regulus took off his shirt and dabbed at the deep and gushing wound on his shoulder.

"Get up and get inside now," James urged. He lifted Ginny up and pulled her arm over his shoulders and they went inside.

They should've gotten medical supplies and potions, Ginny thought quite upset with herself that she hadn't even thought of it. Even Hermione would've thought to do that. She felt idiotic, especially when James laid her on top of the kitchen table all bloodied and Remus ask if they'd bought anything to help stop the bleeding. He took off his own shirt and wrapped it around her knee but she could only think of how unnecessary that was when he could've easily conjured something more appropriate. She turned on Regulus.

"Are you bloody out of your mind? Did want her to kill us?" Ginny yelled sitting up from the table on her elbows as Remus worked over her right knee and checked if anything else had been damaged. Sirius went to stand right behind Regulus and Lily began looking over James. He turned in a circle, showing her he was fine and pointed her to Regulus.

"Ginny, please relax," James said soothingly. "Awner could you come in here?"

"I won't relax! Why the hell would you provoke _her_ of all people! We were leaving Regulus! Your big head got in the way! This isn't a family feud, its war!"

"It was Bellatrix wasn't it?"

"Of course it was bloody Bellatrix!" Regulus said miserably. He sat at the head of the table hunched over, still holding the shirt to his shoulder. Lily was trying to take it off and cover it with something more sanitary but he wouldn't let her. He was planning on taking every word Ginny had for him before he would let himself be treated. "But she provoked me just as much."

"Of course she did Regulus! She's Bellatrix Lestrange. She is a Death Eater. Her desires in life are to murder hundreds of people and cower at the feet of the most disgusting, vile, snake-like creature that walks the earth. She already knew you'd come to us. She was well aware who James was. I bet she'd practiced every word she told you today. And you still fell for it! You still got cocky and over-heated! She's not your cousin anymore. You have to grow out of that and do it now!"

Ginny hardly noticed that Awner had pushed Remus from her and was inspecting her knee.

"She would have tried to curse me anyways Ginny," James said. "She blames me for taking Sirius away and I'm sure for Regulus now too. I could've sported my blood traitor and proud badge and it wouldn't have made any difference. At least he stood his ground. He's more like a Gryffindor than she thought and it shocked her."

"As happy as you are that you've shocked your dear cousin, Regulus," Ginny said with narrowed eyes, "our aim isn't to shock her. It's to kill her. Get that through your skull."

"Enough," Lily said, looking at Sirius who looked as if he wanted to curse Ginny's other knee. "I'm bringing Regulus to the other room. Awner, when you've finished wrapping up Ginny that's where we'll be."

Awner nodded. Ginny lay back on the table and let the house-elf tend to her knee. Remus went to get another shirt. Peter sat next her, the only one who'd stayed. She merely stared up at the ceiling. They'd been so close! So close to getting out without a problem. She slammed her fist on the table making Awner jump.

"Go, it's alright," Peter told the house-elf. He finished wrapping up Ginny's knee himself although it was very clumsily finished. She knew she would have to go see a healer for it to be put right but they couldn't go to St. Mungo's. Maybe she'd have to go back to Hogwarts after all and have Madam Pomfrey fix it.

"It's good that Sirius is making Regulus go back to Hogwarts," she thought out loud. "He'll be protected there. Dumbledore and McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey will take care of him."

"You really think so? He'll be living with a bunch of Slytherin who hate him and he'll be getting cursed every other night," Peter said. He sat down and their eyes met. "You were too harsh. Whether she's evil or not, he still hasn't gotten used to treating her like an enemy. He tried today and went a little overboard but James is right. He tried. Now we don't know what side he's on."

"You think he's going to become a Death Eater because I gave him a well-needed shouting at?"

"No. I think he's going to question why he's here in the first place."

How was it that Peter Pettigrew, that loathsome, betraying rat had turned Ginny's brain inside out? He was right and she felt terrible. She was going to have to apologize. She'd even said it herself that they couldn't put Regulus on the spot. He was not strong enough to handle it. What if he did switch sides? He knew everything…

* * *

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	23. For the First Time

**Thanks to nalaagirl, Cole the Demon Hunter, Blue Luver5000, Kellsabelle, Angie Kangaroo, ctc, LivingInTheClouds, LaLaLaLa13, and Aeliid for reviewing. :D**

**And a very special thank you to 3xpr3ssion for giving me my 100****th**** review for Make it in Time!**

* * *

****Chapter 23: For the First Time

Never in her life had Ginny ever felt ashamed of something she had said until Peter had told her what he thought about her reprimanding Regulus. For a good fifteen minutes she continued to lay there on the kitchen table replaying the scene back in her head, starting from Bellatrix greeting him all the way to watching Peter's backside leave the kitchen. Then she finally felt the pain her knee was giving her in recurring forceful throbs that pulsed all the way up to her neck, suffocating her until she passed out. When she woke up she was lying in her bed and Remus was sitting on Lily's bed with parchment and quill jotting down some notes.

Awner visited her next, telling her that she was to remain in bed or else her knee would not heal properly. She was not to walk around. For days, her only visitors were Awner and Remus. Even Lily slept in James' room a few nights but eventually she returned, although only murmuring a quick goodnight before drifting off to sleep.

Ginny felt like she had just sometime after she'd arrived at Hogwarts when she only had two friends, Regulus and Remus. Except now she was none the better because Regulus wasn't speaking to her and it was by their choice that James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily were keeping their distance, not hers. Only Remus treated her as if nothing had happened.

They went about their days as per normal. They joined at nine every morning (in Ginny's room because she couldn't walk down the hall) to discuss what they would be doing that day in order to be productive; they'd pushed off their trip into Little Hangleton until Ginny and Regulus both felt up to going. Regulus was no present at these meetings, much to Ginny's dismay. He was bed bound as well, Awner let her know when she asked how he was doing when the house elf was changing her bandages. Ginny had no opportunity to see if he was angry with her, to apologize. Even worse, with these morning meetings going on without him she feared he would feel more left out and ignored, encouraging any thoughts he may have about leaving.

Most days James and Sirius and Peter practiced Occlumency. Lily secluded herself to potion-making, thinking it of higher importance that they properly disguise themselves when they did decide to go Horcrux hunting. She also worked very diligently on the Wolfsbane potion, trying her best to make it absolutely perfectly. The full moon was to come in a few days' time. Ginny and Regulus were of course resigned to bed rest as declared by Awner who'd learned enough medical magic from Mrs. Potter over the years to take care of them both. Although Regulus could walk, he'd lost a significant amount of blood and was a little wobbly on his feet. Regulus often asked if Occlumency lessons could be held in his room so that he could learn as well. According to what Remus told her, they were getting along rather well. Dumbledore had sent them a stack of books purely on the subject.

As for Remus and Ginny, they spent the majority of their time in her room, looking up the latest murders and captures, talking, and just letting time pass by. Less frequently than they did for Regulus, James and Peter tried to teach Ginny Occlumency. Sirius would not come at all and after a while Ginny was too discouraged to even try. Peter kept giving her a headache. He was getting really good at it. But mostly Remus and Ginny spent time alone talking about what they were going to do when she was better.

But she couldn't stop thinking about Regulus. They were living in the same house and she hadn't even seen the whites of his eyes in over a week. He'd become very quiet in general, not just with Ginny. He was focused on Occlumency and that seemed to be a good thing but the pit in Ginny's stomach made her very worried. She couldn't stand the idea of him leaving her. Somewhere inside her she recognized that she needed him. It took his hatred for her to realize what she was missing without him.

When she was alone she thought of him. Even when she wasn't he was always at the front of her thoughts. Everything she said she said so with him in mind. Every hug and every kiss he'd popped on her forehead, gone. Remus kept assuring her that everything would be alright, that he would get over it. But she was so desperately scared of losing him.

_Why do I feel so terrified all of the time? Is because I know what Peter said is true? Maybe Regulus does want to leave. Why does a part of me feel like there's something else bothering me? Is there another reason I'm afraid of losing Regulus Black?_

"Why Harry?" she said aloud one evening before she went to bed. Lily was in James' room and Remus had already dismissed himself respectfully to go to bed. For the first time in a long time, Ginny allowed tears to fall freely. She pulled the vial of memories from the pouch at her neck. "Why did you bring me here?" she addressed the vial as if it would magically communicate her feelings and questions to some being beyond the decade, beyond the veil. "Nothing is going right. I don't know what to do. What do I do Harry?" she asked with imploring eyes. "Harry, what is it that you want me to do?"

* * *

He hadn't spent this much time with Ginny since before she'd allowed any kind of acquaintance with anyone else. Remus loved having all this alone time with Ginny, time to talk just to her. It was the first time she'd welcomed him into her room and he was delighted to see his Christmas gift, the phoenix, perched closest to her bed on the nightstand. It was placed right at the corner, as though she'd picked it up frequently and stared at it before she went to bed, thinking about its meaning, about anything, about him perhaps. He imagined her well again, without the circles under her eyes, with bright shining hair and her beautiful smile all directed right at him every time she looked at him. With this in mind, Remus told himself that regardless of whether or not he fancied Ginny, she was off limits, just like he'd told his mother. But there was no harm in spending as much time as he could with her.

And sure, they mostly talked about fighting and the horcruxes and plans to find them and things they needed to learn before they went out and did all those things, like Occlumency and protective spells, and more Defense. But it was better than nothing or being interrupted by everyone else living at Potter Manor. The claustrophobic feeling Remus had had was finally letting up now that everyone was keeping away from them.

Unfortunately, Ginny was unhappy with the arrangement of things and still she was uncomfortable suggesting any sort of plan now that everyone was mad at her.

"Don't worry about them. They're just a little taken aback. They've never seen you like that," Remus reassured her. He was sitting at the end of her bed with her feet in his lap. It was one in the morning and they had remained up to plan their trip to Little Hangleton when both she and Regulus were well again.

"You've never seen me like that either," Ginny countered putting down her quill.

"True. But you're the only one who's experienced anything like this. I imagine your monologue was heartfelt although a bit too headstrong."

She took a deep breath. They'd talked about this before. He didn't understand why she was still so anxious. They were all shocked, that's all. Both sides were reasonable. They just needed time to get over it. "I'm worried about Regulus. What if he decides to become a Death Eater now?"

As annoyed as he was about Ginny's constant worries about Regulus, this was the first time she had voiced to him this specific concern of hers. "What gave you the idea the he would do something like that?"

"Peter. He told me I'd been too harsh and that he might be second guessing himself now."

He reminded himself to tell Peter not to say such stupid things. "That's ridiculous. Getting shouted at isn't going to change his mind and make him want to kill people."

Ginny shook her head. "I've been thinking about it a lot. You didn't hear what Bellatrix said to him. Blood is thicker than morals. 'You abandoned us,' she told him. He might sympathize with them. He knows what it feels like to be abandoned. That's how he felt when Sirius left. In his mind he might be thinking he doesn't want anyone else to feel like that, especially not because of him."

"You think he's going to go back to make them feel better?" he asked her, unconvinced.

"Why wouldn't he?" Ginny said, almost at the brink of tears.

Remus climbed toward her now. For a moment he was nearly hovering on top of her. He kissed her forehead and laced his fingers into hers. He was happy to find that she did not pull away. He sat beside her and couldn't help but notice that every part of their bodies from shoulder to ankle were touching. "Because he's said it already. We're his family now. He made it clear when he stood up to Bellatrix in the first place. Besides, Sirius is here and has been with him nearly every day."

"I'm not sure if it's good enough after what I've done," she said tearfully.

Remus pulled her into a hug. "I'll keep an eye on him. Meantime, you should focus on the horcruxes. He'll come around. You should apologize to him though. That might help."

She nodded. While Ginny didn't look particularly satisfied, she laid in his arms until she fell asleep and he remained there with her until she woke up early in the morning. To him, that was a successful evening.

* * *

"Ginny," Lily whispered. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," Ginny replied groggily. She actually had been awake worrying about Regulus. This was the first time Lily had spoken to Ginny anything more than "goodmorning" and "goodnight." She knew Lily had not been avoiding Ginny like Regulus and Sirius were. Instead, Ginny assumed that Lily was giving her space to calm down.

"May I ask you to do me a huge favor?"

Ginny turned onto her other side to see Lily sitting up in the small bed beside her. She adjusted the pillow and leaned on her hand. "Sure of course. What is it?"

Through the dark of the night Ginny saw Lily hesitate for a moment. She looked as though she were still mulling over whether or not she really wanted to ask Ginny this. "You can't tell anyone. Not anyone. Definitely not James and _not Remus,_" she said with added emphasis.

"What does this have to with Remus?" Ginny asked. She wondered whether Lily had come in the middle of the night and seen them asleep together on her bed. Ginny was embarrassed over it. She had Harry and the responsibilities that came with being with the Boy That Lived after all. It was inappropriate for her to be falling asleep anywhere with anyone in that way. With so much weight on her shoulders she'd become sensitive to judgment whereas before she had been uncaring as to what others thought about her.

"What?" Lily looked confused. "Nothing. Just you two are always together now since no one else wants to be around you," Lily said simply.

"Thanks for the sensitivity," Ginny groaned.

"I'm sorry. It's true though, you're with Remus from breakfast to bedtime." Now that it was told to her Ginny knew it to be true. They hadn't really separated from each other except when they went to sleep. And even then… More than anything, even now, she craved his company. Tonight though he was a mile away and the full moon was out. The other Marauders were watching over him. "But you can't tell him."

"I won't I promise. Tell me."

Lily faltered, looked fleetingly uncertain but regained her courage and stared determinedly at Ginny. "You might think I've been ignoring you lately but it's not just you. I've spent my spare time over the last couple weeks designing a spell. It's actually sort of a combination of a spell and a potion. With the supplies you've given me for the Polyjuice Potion and the Wolfsbane and the extra ingredients I had enough to make a blood replenishing potion. I gave some of it to Regulus as soon as I finished it. But the rest I kept. Many years ago an old friend of mine lost a decent amount of blood. Madam Pomfrey used a blood replenishing potion to help him recover." Ginny thought she knew who this old friend must be because Lily said recover with an edge to her voice. "My spell is somewhat similar. It's a use of the blood replenishing potion that I invented…it's a little different. It's sort of a process."

"What does this process entail?"

"Well, I would give you a vial of my blood and you to me likewise. We'd each put a drop from the vial into our own cup of the blood replenishing potion. I'll say my spell over it and then it's done. The only thing is…" Lily looked uncertain again.

Easily, Ginny understood. "We've got to drink the vile of one another's blood and the blood replenishing potion."

"I…well…you make it sound so terrible."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't mean to. Of course I'll do it."

"The spell initially was only to remove the blood from the digestive tract into the blood stream."

"But then we'd have to drink gallon sized vats of blood for it to actually work." Looking back on when she'd met a vampire at Slughorn's Christmas party a couple years ago she grimaced. He smelled her every time she passed him. "I can see where you might find that a little outrageous."

"Honestly, I think what little we'll have to drink is outrageous but it's the only way I know how. I've tried other things but I just don't think they'll take properly. I altered the potion so that it would only replenish the blood inside of it. So in your potion, only my blood will replenish. It's the opposite in mine."

"You are brilliant," Ginny couldn't help but say. In many ways, Lily reminded her of Hermione but in a more humble way. Lily knew she was smart like Hermione did but Hermione cared too much about it. Lily, although desperate, was less insecure.

"You're taking the idea of drinking my blood better than I thought," Lily admitted.

Ginny shrugged and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. "I have six brothers. I always wanted a sister."

After a few moments of silence Lily said, "It's not about being my sister though," as if she thought Ginny had missed the point.

"Of course it isn't. You want to exchange blood so that if you do have to die for Harry he'll go to me instead of Petunia and he'll still be protected…"

Lily nodded. "After how James and I were treated at the wedding I was trying to think of what I could possibly do to keep Harry away from them. James was downright furious. And then in Diagon Alley…when you were almost killed…" Ginny thought they'd done well to protect themselves. "You did do well. It just made me realize how quick something like that could happen. Just as a precaution. I'd rather Harry go to you because I know you'll love him with all your heart and protect him."

Ginny couldn't think of a better plan.

Two nights later, after they were absolutely sure everyone else had gone to bed, Lily and Ginny prepared their room for this process. On the nightstand between both of their beds Lily set two vials, two cups, and a quart full of potion. Ginny sat upright against her pillows. If all went as planned, she would be able to get out of bed tomorrow. If she reacted to the blood badly, at least she was already bedridden. Lily though was another story. If things went badly it would be difficult to explain why Lily was sick without telling the truth.

With a knife Lily had nicked from the kitchen they each cut a deep gash into their wrists and let their blood drip ever so slowly into individual vials. The vials were about as tall as their thumbs and as wide as the circle made with a thumb and forefinger. It took about ten minutes for the vials to be full.

"_Locomotor Circulatorius," _Lily whispered over each vile. With her wand she then lifted the smallest drop from each and placed them into two cups filled with Lily's special Blood Replenishing Potion. Ginny lifted her cup, the one with Lily's blood drop inside. She sniffed it.

"I don't expect we could add a bit of sugar to it?"

"I don't think so," Lily said a little sadly.

Lily sat back in her own bed holding the vial in one hand, the cup in the other. "We've got to drink the potion first so it catches the rest of the blood."

"That's a pleasant order of things," Ginny said lightly. "Have we got a chaser?" Lily nodded, putting down her vile and lifted a brown bag from beneath her bed. Ginny cocked her head.

"It's firewhisky," Lily said sheepishly.

Ginny grinned. "That's my girl," she said. Ginny picked up her shot of Lily's blood, and held it up in the air. Lily held hers up. "Cheers."

Lily drank the potion slowly trying to make herself believe there was no blood in it, if only to stall the most revolting thing she would ever do. Ginny though took them both down like she was parched and reached for the firewhiskey. She had half of the beverage gone before Lily finished the vial of Ginny's blood and she passed the bottle over when Lily reached for it urgently. Ginny's throat and mouth burned and tears fell down her eyes.

When Lily had finished her portion of the firewhiskey she looked over at Ginny. "That wasn't so terrible was it?"

"Not at all."

After a moment of consideration they both started giggling. They were already acting like sisters. When they were done with their fit of laughter they said goodnight and both tucked themselves into bed.

"Thanks Ginny."

"Don't thank me. If this is even necessary it means you're dead."

* * *

"We've got both really good news and really bad news. Which do you all want to hear first?" Frank and Alice sat beside one another at the dinner table. Plates were empty and Awner was slowly making her way around clearing everything.

Everyone looked at Ginny, expecting her to answer even though the questions had not been directed explicitly at her. The first time they've all acknowledged my presence in a week, she thought. "I suppose the bad first," she decided. Maybe the night would end on a high note. Perhaps even lighten everyone's mood. Hopefully even Regulus's.

"Fine then. The little tiff you three got into at Diagon Alley did not go by unnoticed by the Ministry. Ginny used an Unforgivable curse –"

"So did Bellatrix," Regulus argued. Ginny looked closely at him, the first time she'd seen him since she'd yelled at him. Is his standing up for her a sign that she was forgiven?

"Yes but Bellatrix isn't necessarily under the Ministry's jurisdiction anymore is she? As I was saying, they don't want open warfare in the middle of public streets, especially if it's clear Unforgivable curses are being used openly. They want dangerous assignments to be got on by whom they consider experienced witches and wizards and keep the lesser assignments to younger ones. Young Aurors like Alice and I are put on minor cases that really have nothing to do with You-Know-Who. They've been deciding how to appropriately handle you lot."

"What do you mean appropriately handle our lot?" James asked with edge to his voice.

"Since they consider you to be allies as well as young, in order to properly handle hostile situations the Ministry has instructed the Auror Office to send an officer here to oversee you. Whoever they send will be responsible for giving you assignments and returning them back to the Ministry when they are completed and make sure to keep you in line. That is, keep you out of trouble."

"That is, keep us from finding horcruxes," Ginny corrected quietly and Frank nodded.

James banged his fist on the table and Ginny wondered how close it was to wear she had banged her fist on the table weeks ago. "We weren't even on an 'assignment!' We took a _stroll_ through Diagon Alley like anyone else and we were attacked! And for that we're being babysat. The Ministry is going to watch us like hawks."

"They're not just going to watch us. They're going to dictate what we do and where we go. We'll have no way to find horcruxes. The Ministry is insecure and this is the only way they know how to gain some sort of control," Ginny said. "Do they plan on paying us?"

Alice shook her head. "They expect you to comply fully."

"And if we don't?" Peter asked, once more surprising his friends with his simply displayed audacity.

Alice tapped her wand on the table and shook her head again.

Lily stroked James' back. "What are we going to do?"

Long moments of silence engulfed them as they tried to conjure up ideas of how to remedy the situation. James thought as hard as he could. He would not allow himself and his family to be forced into a Ministry job they wouldn't be paid for. He thought of Lily and Harry. He loved them too much to do paperwork and toilet gagging arrests. Lily put a hand on his thigh and he held it tightly. Without looking at each other they communicated their uncertainty.

Ginny stared at Regulus, who looked back at her. He pointed to his wrist and gave her a questioning glance. She looked down at her own wrist and remembered why there was another bandage there. She shrugged, if only to delay having to explain to him anyways. He glared and look away.

"We'll have to split up," he finally said. "It only makes sense. Some will have to stay and be the Ministry's caddies and the rest of us will need to go under cover and find horcruxes. We don't have many other choices."

After a few murmurs of consent to this idea Ginny shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "I'd prefer that we stay together. We're stronger when we're together."

"If we're together we'll be watched," he countered.

"We're on a list. They know who we are. If some of us disappear they'll go looking for us. I'd rather not have a tail."

"The two of us aren't on the list," he reminded her suggestively.

"I agree with Ginny," Remus said now. "We've learned that small groups can be troublesome."

"That has nothing to do with the fact that we were in a small group," Regulus began to argue, standing up. Remus stood too.

"Enough," Lily said. "If Ginny says we're staying together, then we're staying together. Regulus, go upstairs, now."

"You're not my mother, Lily," he said childishly.

She looked up at him with face of a superior one did not mess around with. "No I'm not," she agreed sternly. "You have the unfortunate situation, just as your brother does, of a family on the other end of this war. So you made the choice to disown your family, a difficult choice but one nonetheless. Don't sulk anymore."

Without a word Regulus left the room.

"Thank you Lily," Sirius said genuinely. He rubbed his eyes with his forefingers and for the first time they saw the stress put on Sirius by babysitting his younger brother. Ginny though wanted to rip Lily's hair out. If Regulus wasn't thinking of leaving before, he was surely thinking about it now.

"You can't treat him like a child by sending him upstairs," Ginny said anxiously. "He'll feel like he's not included." She attempted to stand to follow after him but she fell and Frank caught her. He eyed her, communicating her to sit where she was.

Sirius grunted. "So treat him like an adult and tell him blunt face to kill his cousin, the girl who babysat him for five years?" Sirius countered. "Please don't tell me how to parent my younger brother."

"It isn't your job to parent him. It's your job is to help prepare him for what we're getting into. He's an adult now and he needs to start acting like one. He needs to be shown he's as much a part of this as any of us," Ginny said.

"This isn't the topic at hand," Peter said. "You two can discuss or argue what you believe is the proper path for Regulus on your own terms." He turned to Frank and Alice and asked, "When are we supposed to expect this Ministry official to present himself here?"

Somewhat shocked again at Peter's growing confidence Alice stuttered. "Uh, erm… any day now I suppose. They should send you an owl first."

Lily nodded. "We'll have to prepare for that. So now that the bad news is done with what's the good news? I do think we need a bit of happiness in this room right now." She pointed at Sirius and Ginny who were glowering at one another.

Alice and Frank shared a glance and both grinned deeply as if the first half of their conversation had not happened. From her bag hanging on her chair, Alice produced a stack of ivory envelopes tied together with a golden and scarlet ribbon. Slowly she untied the ribbon and it fell softly to the table. Lily's hand went up to her chest in joy. Alice grinned even wider. Individually she looked at the name of each recipient on each envelope and passed them down the table. Ginny received hers last.

"Go on, open them."

As each of them tore open their envelopes as delicately as Alice had passed them out Frank explained why they were delivering them personally instead of by owl. "We had to come by anyways and tell you about the Ministry's choice and also to say that we've been getting Occlumency training at the Academy. We had to request it but they didn't ask why so it was not a big deal. But otherwise Ginny got to us with being careful. If we sent them by owl they might've been intercepted and we don't want any unwelcome visitors at the wedding you know? Right Ginny? Ginny?"

Ginny held her face in her hands. She smiled however. "You're wedding invitation is beautiful."

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**I hope you all enjoyed this extra-long chapter! There's a lot of really important things happening in this chapter. Please, please review! Also, I'm holding a poll to see who you all want for Ginny!**

Poll: Remus, Regulus, or Harry? Let me know in a long and detailed review! ;)


	24. Better Place, Better Case

**Thanks to Blue Luver5000, ctc, Angie Kangaroo, MuggleCreator, Cole the Demon Hunter, kerriberri814, Slyherinjunkie20, Aeliid, and you regret it.**

**Reading the reviews: I smiled so much because I know you're really as excited as I am about this story. To answer your questions, I can only say you must read on ;)**

**Also, a poll has been posted on my profile! Check it out and vote! Oh the power of diplomacy…**

**I also haven't said it in a few chapters but I admit that I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Chapter Twenty-Four: Better Place, Better Case

"Regulus and I have decided that we will be moving permanently to my flat in London," Sirius told them at breakfast the next morning. James put down his spoon, his breakfast forgotten. He looked over at Ginny with some contempt and Lily put a hand on Ginny's shoulder, giving him a look that told him _do not blame this on her_. Sirius saw this exchange and while no keener in appreciation towards Ginny than he'd been the evening previously it was no reason to make a fuss over. "Mate, it's a bit crowded here no matter how big the place is. I think it's time we all have a bit of space. We'll be connected by the Floo and we'll be here every day for Occlumency lessons and whatever assignments we're given by this Ministry guy. But I think its best that we separate home from work. It's making us all tense all of the time and we can't deal with it."

Regulus was twiddling his thumbs beside his brother, not having touched his plate at all. To Ginny, he didn't look at all like he agreed with his brother. Dissent was etched clearly on his face. His brows were turned inward and he sat low in his seat like a child in timeout after having just thrown a particularly contentious tantrum. Somehow though, he had been convinced not to disagree in front of their friends. Ginny hardly realized Regulus was staring back at her she was so deep in thought. When he caught her attention he motioned again at his wrist like he had the evening before but Ginny looked away, burying her face into her meal.

"If you think that's best then we'll support your decision," Lily said, momentarily glancing down at Ginny with slight bewilderment at the size of the forkful of food her friend had just consumed before nodding at Sirius. Lily thought Sirius, for once, was being rather mature and wanted to encourage it.

"I won't support it. We need to work together. Ginny what do you think about this?" James demanded. Ginny shrugged, filling her fork again and shoving it into her mouth. She could feel Regulus' eyes boring holes into her face. Remus put a hand on hers to try and slow her down. "What happened to us staying together?"

Remus answered for her. "They're not leaving. We don't need to be living together in order to work together," he said. Regulus grunted but Ginny couldn't discern whether or not it was in agreement with Remus or not. She took another mouthful of eggs even though her mouth was still full.

"Exactly," Sirius agreed. "Oh and by the way Remus, do you need dress robes for the wedding? I've got to buy for Regulus." Suddenly, Ginny felt very unwell and put her fork down. If she didn't care about being impolite she probably would've spit her food right onto her plate but instead she discarded it into a napkin.

Remus turned red, apparently embarrassed that his friends expected they had to buy luxury things for him. He nearly nodded before James said "I can handle it. Where do you plan on getting for Regulus though? We all know a trip to Diagon Alley is a bit questionable these days," he said lightly with a wink to lighten the air.

"I was going to order something and hope for the best."

"Speaking of the wedding, Ginny do you need something to wear?" Lily asked. Ginny looked up to see everyone staring at her.

"Erm, no I…I don't think so."

She really had nothing to wear. Anything Lily had given her for Christmas was not nice enough to wear to a wedding, and especially not on par with what she'd worn for her brother's wedding. She remembered how that golden material Fleur had chosen flowed perfectly over her slight curves and remembered how Harry, enhanced by his redheaded disguise, had blushed just looking at her that morning. Without finishing her plate and still with all eyes on her Ginny stood and rushed to the bathroom and threw up everything she'd just consumed.

* * *

She'd been trying to seem busy eating so that Regulus would not think she was dwelling over their current lack of communication and also so that he would stop silently questioning her over the length of the table about her wrist, which if anyone else had noticed, would've become a much discussed topic that she knew Lily did not want to speak about.

Ginny had already brushed her teeth and made it to her cubicle when Remus asked if she were all right. In fact, he practically interrogated her. "Remus, I promise I'm fine. It was just food poisoning," she assured him, although she knew it wasn't true. She did her best to look busy so that she didn't have to look at him.

"I ate just as much of the food as you did and I didn't get sick," he protested.

"Maybe you have a better immune system than I do," she suggested, as ridiculous an excuse as it was. She bent underneath her desk as if looking for something but she actually just sat there looking at small dust bunnies.

Ginny knew exactly what had made her feel sick. Anything that had to do with the wedding made her stomach churn. Every time she thought about a marriage she thought about the closing of Bill and Fleur's wedding and how it was completely destroyed. Looking at Remus now made her want to cry.

They'd all been tortured a few times, locked in the Burrow._ Where's Harry Potter? We know he was here. _The thing was that Remus had been tortured in front of her, along with her parents and Bill. They hadn't wanted to touch Ginny because she was under age but thought that perhaps if she watched some be cruciated enough times she might crack anyways. But she hadn't said anything and Remus had been tortured until he was unconscious. So they tortured her anyways, although she was luckily only given a few curses. And then, when the Death Eater finally left, she had to tell Tonks what had happened and remembering the Metamorphmagi's hair turn black as night as she spoke broke her heart all over again.

The wedding was where everything had begun. The fighting at least. And the worst part was that it had been the last time she'd really properly spoken to Harry. And even then he was disguised to look like her cousin. The word "wedding" only prescribed from her an anxious traumatic stress and a broken heart. She would've married Harry if he hadn't…

Ginny did not plan on attending Alice and Frank's wedding and she hoped that they would understand. She would do her best to explain if they asked for an explanation but she figured she still might turn into a mess. She just didn't want to ruin their day by creating an unnecessary scene.

"A better immune system?" Remus asked sardonically. He began walking toward the front door, away from the living room full of cubicles. She followed, curious as to where he was dragging her but she was just glad it was away from everyone else. If Sirius was right about anything, which was a rare occasion, it was that Potter Manor had become much too crowded.

Ginny followed Remus all the way to the front garden. Remus tried to reach for her hand but she turned around to smell some flowers blooming beside the house.

"I know you better Ginny. What's really going on inside your head? You've just gotten sick over the best egg breakfast Awner has ever made us. That has nothing to do with food poisoning."

Her back was still turned to him. She regained her composure and turned. "I'm still worried about Regulus. I haven't gotten the chance to apologize and he won't speak to me. Now he's leaving so I'll see him even less than I already do now, which is barely any time at all. He'll think I've just gone and forgotten about him."

"Something other than Regulus?" he wondered. He pulled her wrist (thankfully the undamaged one) toward the swing underneath the tree and they sat on it together. She shook her head.

"There's really nothing else bothering me," she lied. But now she was truthful. "I've learned that it's very easy to lose the people you love and even harder to keep them close during war. And for me… well, I've already lost everyone I love. I have to work ten times harder to keep you all in my life and now it's even more strange because if I don't it may mean the end of our world as we know it."

"You don't trust us? Even if we do get into a row, we're in this together. Always. You know that."

Almost frantically, Ginny shook her head, thinking of Peter Pettigrew, the old rat-like Pettigrew. She thought of how much they'd trusted him. "I don't know that. No matter how much I trust you all I can never be completely sure. Lily and James were betrayed," she reminded him. "I need to treat everyone here as if they're my best friend. And Regulus has more opportunity than any of you to betray us. He has the information and he's a Slytherin. More easily than any of us would he be able to just slip back Voldemort."

Remus flinched, even though he'd said the name himself before.

"Ginny, can we stop talking about Regulus for a moment. Or anyone really. You're always thinking about what's coming next and you haven't just sat still and enjoyed what's around you. I wanted to ask you something." Her curious brown eyes reflected flecks of the sun like soft embers in a fire place and Remus nearly melted himself.

"I was wondering…maybe…well, you know the wedding is in a few days and I thought it might be nice if we were to go-"

"I'm not going to the wedding," she said quickly, much too fast for her to even realize what he was asking. She looked over at the house now and saw an owl drift into the kitchen window. She stood now. "And that illustrates my point. There's too much to be worried about. I'm happy for Alice and Frank, I really am…" Remus stood beside her and it took all his power not to grab onto her. She looked up into his face and saw the scratches, the self-inflicted wounds of his terrible condition and couldn't lie to him. "Remus, the last wedding I was at was gate crashed by Death Eaters. I can't handle that sort of environment, not again. I'm scared," she admitted.

Remus sighed. "I understand. Alice and Frank will too. Thank you for telling me." He gave a short-lived smile and nodded toward the house. "You should see what that owl sent."

"Aren't you coming?" she asked.

"Nah. I'll be inside in a bit." Looking at her now, after having expressed all her vulnerabilities, confiding in him her every fear, all he wanted to do was kiss her troubles away. But he could only imagine what her reaction would be if he voiced it. She was still in love with Harry and hung up over Regulus and there was no room in her life for a relationship even if she wanted one.

He had been stupid to think she would've wanted to be his date to the wedding anyways and it was probably for the better that she hadn't realized his intentions at all.

* * *

When Ginny entered the kitchen through the back door James was opening the letter given to him by the brawny barn owl that perched itself haughtily on the head of the chair she had occupied this morning at breakfast. Everyone else was looking at James expectantly but the owl cocked its head at her. Its dark brown feathers ruffled and its yellow eyes sized her up. She wrinkled her nose at it.

"Everyone into the living room," James said. "Our Ministry baby-sitter will be here in a matter of moments."

"Now?" Lily asked, alarmed. "Is that all the forewarning we're going to get?"

Ginny slipped her wand from her sleeve and made her way first into the living room. "I'm going to stun him," she told them as a matter of fact. No one objected, although she suspected that a few smiles were exchanged behind her. "Show him just exactly what he's going to be dealing with."

As if on cue, Alice and Frank emerged from green flames in the fireplace.

"What's going on?" Frank asked as he approached James who stood nearest the front door. "Why's Ginny got her wand out?"

James took his own out. "Our baby sitter should be arriving moment-"

The door flew open and slammed against its adjoining wall, Ginny's stunner leaping from her wand so quickly even she hardly realized she'd done it. A tall man in lavender robes crumpled to the floor in a heap against the wall. His chin was pinned sluggishly to his chest and he wore a hat whose brim was so large that they could not make out his face. Together, Frank and James stepped cautiously toward the man, James' wand still raised. James kicked off the hat and Frank laughed sardonically. The man looked to be about twenty five.

"It's just Dearborn," he complained turning to Alice. "Why'd they have to send him, out of everyone they could've chosen they had to choose the most cocky, pig-headed Auror in the Department?"

Alice grimaced. "Caradoc? Gin, you'll be glad you stunned him now. I've been wanting to do it for ages. Frankly, I'm jealous of you now."

"Don't put your guard down," Remus said from the doorway. He'd just walked in from the garden and had said exactly what Ginny was about to say.

"He's right. Don't underestimate the power of Polyjuice Potion. James, revive him and Frank ask him something only he would know to confirm it's really him," she instructed.

James nodded and said, "_Renervate_."

The unconfirmed man's eyes opened groggily. He lifted his arms slowly to rub his temples. "Why the bloody hell would you stun me?"

"Don't you knock?" James asked sounding highly annoyed. "This is my _home_ after all, whether you're here on duty or not. You should expect to be cursed, barging in here unannounced."

"I sent word," Dearborn argued defensively, attempting to get up.

"Two minutes ago. People are getting murdered left and right and you think it's alright to make a mess of the front door, bloody hell."

"Frank!" Ginny urged as Dearborn stood to his full height.

"Oh right. Dearborn, what has the Ministry done with captured Death Eaters?"

Dearborn looked at him as though he needed to be put in Azkaban. "I'm not answering that. These people aren't allowed to know-"

"Answer him or I think she's going to curse you," Remus said as Ginny brought her wand so that it was right under his neck.

"Is it you that's responsible for stunning a Ministry official? I'll have you know-"

Ginny nodded. "I'll have you know, I really don't care what the Ministry's got to say about it. Answer him."

"They're being questioned," he answered through gritted teeth. "If they out other Death Eaters and we capture them we are setting them free."

"They're setting Death Eaters free?" Lily asked disbelievingly.

"We've not released one yet," Dearborn replied as though Lily had paid him a personal insult. Clearly this man could not choose between loyalty to the Ministry and his own convictions. "But I'm assuming I'm in the right place." He unrolled a scroll he held in his left hand and read: "A group of powerful witches and wizards who are especially suspicious, indifferent to lingering effects of chosen spells, effectively disregarding of orders, and particularly," he glanced up and looked at Ginny directly. "Stunner-happy. It sounds right."

After a moment of silent consideration Sirius burst out laughing and everyone else couldn't help but smile. Lily brought a hand up to cover hers but her green eyes glittered.

"Did you quill that Frank?" James asked through a smile.

"With Ginny in mind," he replied gathering another round of laughter.

Ginny faltered, realized that her wand was still pointing up Dearborn's chin and she took a step backward. "Stunner-happy am I?" She gave a chiding look at Dearborn for good measure. After all if he was going to be her superior he at least should learn to harbor a healthy weariness for her. "Good." He took a step back of his own, clearly intimidated.

"You, Longbottom. You're a part of this? You're an Auror!" he exclaimed as if it were impossible that he could do both. "A Junior Auror no less but still, part of the Ministry."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and stepped beside her fiancé. "Excuse me, but we're being promoted in a few weeks."

But Dearborn ignored her and went on, "Anyways, I'm sure you understand that the Ministry has decided to monitor your movements as a self-declared Anti-You-Know-Who fighter group."

"To whom did we declare such a title?" Lily asked.

"Are you not an Anti-You-Know-Who fighter group?" he asked looking at them as if they were covered in dirty rags.

"Of course we are you dolt. We'd just like the Ministry of Magic to ask before they assume and plant us on a Death Eater hit-list!" Ginny shouted. Caradoc Dearborn looked fleetingly as though he really agreed with her but kept face. Ginny glared. "You were saying?"

"I have a few assignments that you can work on." He walked through the thick of them and placed a round half dozen envelopes on Ginny's desk. Lily sat in Ginny's chair and opened one while Sirius hastily reached over the barrier and got hold of another.

"Is this the Ministry's bombastic way of deluding us into the notion that you're giving us _choices?_" Lily asked smartly. She read over the first page and lifted a few pages to glaze over the rest. "This is a case regarding the illegal bewitching of Muggle doorknobs. This should go to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, not to Aurors."

"And you really want us to capture a fellow selling stolen goods on side roads? We chose not to work for you for a very specific reason. There are much more important things we can be doing with our time than working for the Ministry," Sirius said, discarding the envelope back onto the desk.

"Yes, and they are being handled by much more experienced wizards and witches like myself," Dearborn replied and Ginny scoffed.

"Apparently not. You've been ordered to babysit us. You aren't really fighting with the big dogs are you Dearborn?" Ginny asked with a sardonic smile playing at her lips. She took a few long strides towards him and stood so that her face was as close to his as possible, even though he stood at least a head and half taller than her. "I'll tell you what. You bring better cases and we'll make your job quite simple. You bring us this rubbish and we'll disappear. Along with your job." Caradoc Dearborn lifted his chin and stared down his overlong nose at the fiery red head. He seemed to be thinking it over when finally he stood back and picked up the envelopes.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. At the same time." He glared at James saying _there's your notice_. "I'll have better cases. But I expect a proper welcoming and proper respect to a superior have I made myself clear?"

"Those cases better have the words _Death Eater_ in them if not _Voldemort_," Ginny retorted. "Have I made myself clear?"

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**This is very important! To my question asked at the end of the last chapter, I realized that I can actually make a poll on my profile page! So I've posted a poll and I would LOVE if you would take a few measly moments of your time after you've read the chapter to choose!**

**As always, I thank you for your readership and I would absolutely adore your reviews, whether detailed, spontaneous, critical, or anything at all!**


	25. You Have a Heart

**Thanks to: Jessica682, Angie Kangaroo, and you regret it for reviewing! And a special thanks for Toxxick Lollie's correction! Thanks for keeping me honest.**

**Also, I've had SO MANY story alerts and favorites that I am SO GRATEFUL for! Thank you so much for continuing to read, even if I'm hopeless! But I promise good things for this chapter and I really hope you enjoy and review. Thanks!**

**As always, Harry Potter is a brilliant figment of JK Rowling's imagination, and one that I could only dream of attaining.**

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Chapter 25: You Have a Heart

The morning of Alice and Frank's wedding Ginny woke early to Lily clawing through her clothes trying to choose what she would wear. Although she was exhausted by a week's worth of bantering with Caradoc Dearborn over which assignments were appropriate for them to handle she was glad to be woken up so early. The boys were surely not awake yet and it would give her enough time to dress and Apparate to Sirius' flat. She'd accepted that she needed to speak to Regulus. She missed him and it was her own fault they were not on speaking terms.

Lily, caught up in dresses, barely saw Ginny grab a handful of clothing and slip into the bathroom down the hall. Quickly, she brushed her teeth, dressed, and combed her hair. She stayed there, gathering herself. Why was it so easy to yell and rant at Caradoc and yet a thousand times more difficult to apologize to a friend? She'd even come to terms with what Remus had assured her, that Regulus would not betray her. Still though, she feared he would be upset with her. But she couldn't cop out of an apology because of cowardice. She'd have to face much more than friend troubles in the future.

Taking a deep steadying breath, she Apparated.

Ginny stood in front of the fireplace, not wanting to move too far in case she was not welcomed. But no one was sitting in the living room and she felt awkward walking around a home that was not hers.

The living room was bare but for a plain sofa and a wooden coffee table in front of it. Without a rug over the wood flooring every movement Ginny made seemed to echo even though the ceiling wasn't very high and the room was not so large. The hallway connected to it was dark. There was a window through which Ginny could see a small kitchenette and another past it that she could see some of London through it. That was all the interest the room had. The walls were white and there were no light fixtures. Obviously, Sirius had not gotten around to decorating the flat but Ginny was just as similarly surprised that he had not coloured it for Gryffindor as she knew he had done in his bedroom at Grimmauld Place. She supposed he did it then to anger his parents and now that he was living without them he no longer needed to aggravate them anymore.

Not wanting to intrude, Ginny sat quietly on the very edge of the brown sofa, hoping Regulus would show himself soon. But instead, after a quarter of an hour, a light in the hall came on and Sirius appeared wearing a pair of dress pants and holding a white shirt in his hand. Ginny didn't know if Sirius played any sports but she wouldn't disbelieve it if he said he had. His chest wasn't overly muscled but it was toned enough for her to notice. He stopped at the end of the hall when he saw her sitting there and smirked.

"About time," he commented. Walking forward toward the sofa he pulled a white t-shirt over his head and then put each arm through before sitting down beside her. He stretched his arms across the top of the sofa. "He's been wondering whether or not you were going to talk to him at all."

"I'm here to apologize to you too Sirius," Ginny said and he waved her off.

"You don't need to apologize to me. I can't wait to kill Bellatrix," he said with a wolfish smile and even she was surprised by his directness. He was being too cocky in her opinion. Even she would not underestimate Bellatrix Lestrange's power. She thought of Sirius falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries by Bellatrix's curse and forced a smile. Perhaps things would be different.

"Really? Is it that easy for you? To think about killing someone I mean?"

He lowered his voice. "In Bellatrix's special case I don't think of killing her as murder. Killing her means saving the lives of countless others. It's more liberating, I feel. Similar to how you feel about Voldemort except she's my cousin, technically. "

That moment, Regulus appeared from the side hall. He was wearing dress robes but his tie was left hanging around his neck undone with the first few buttons from his neck open. She imagined that years on the Slytherin Quidditch team had done him well too, probably even better than his brother. He was as tall as Sirius now. But he looked a bit more unruly even if he was less so in personality than his trouble-making brother. His long hair was left unbrushed and he had an apple in his hand. Seeing Ginny, he stopped as he was about to take a bite, holding the fruit half way to his mouth. Even his jaw was still gaping half open when Ginny stood.

Getting right to the point she said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for exploding, I should've thought it through first, I really should've. I was caught up in fear and hostility and I didn't realize how terrible what I was saying was until Peter slapped the back of my hand. Regulus, I appreciate everything you've done for me but I haven't shown that to you and I'm sorry. You're very important and I should've taken your feelings into account before I said anything at all." She took a breath finally and Regulus took the bite of his apple, staring at her with an indifferent expression. "And I know this sounds really rehearsed and fake but I mean it."

Now Sirius stood and looked directly at his brother. "That was a proper apology," he declared and then made his way into the kitchen. "Ginny do you want anything to drink? Tea? A shot of firewhiskey perhaps?" he asked through the open window between the living room and the kitchen.

"Erm, no," she answered still looking for acceptance from Regulus. He sat down where Sirius had vacated and he pat the sofa beside him. She sat.

He gave her a half smile and the anxiety that had nested in the pit of her stomach dissipated. "I understand. I'm sorry for being a dolt about it even after I understood why you said all that." He grinned fully now seeing the happiness she exuded. "I've missed you."

Ginny couldn't help but smile and she jumped into his arms. "Me too! I'm so glad you forgive me, I've been so worried. You have no idea what's been going on in my head. For days I've been thinking just the worst things possible thanks to Peter."

"I haven't forgiven you yet," he said and she pulled away from him, distancing herself on the sofa. "You've got to first tell me what happened to yours and Lily's wrists." Ginny glanced from him to Sirius.

"Your wrist?" Sirius saw the bandage on her wrist that he had not noticed was there before and raised his brows. "You might as well tell us both now because he's going to tell me later anyways. You sure you don't want some butterbeer?"

She held out her hand in reply. She'd need it to get through this. Especially if Lily found out she was telling them this, which was very possible because if Sirius knew, then he would definitely tell James, who would approach Lily and ask her why she'd kept it from him. Sirius brought around a drink and she gulped down half of it in one go. Sirius grinned. "What a classy girl, eh Reg?" She snorted on her second more lady-like sip and Sirius patted her hard on the back as she coughed.

"So here's the story. After going to her sister's wedding James yelled at her. Pretty badly really. He didn't want Harry to be raised by his sister-in-law and her husband, who we know did treat Harry well when he was growing up. They probably stunted his growth a bit. Lily didn't much like the idea either so she created a spell…" Ginny went on and told them about the process of the potion and the spell and explained how they had to cut themselves in order to fill a vial with blood. Both brothers listened intently and gave no reaction to anything she said until she had finished.

Regulus gave no change in façade but Sirius gaped at her. "You downed a full shot of Lily's _blood_ just to reassure her that if, on the off chance we don't succeed, she has to die for Harry he would go to you to be raised instead of Petunia?"

"I love Harry," she said simply as if there were no other plausible explanation. "There was no better way to do it and that is Dumbledore's best protection for him. It was logical." She shrugged.

Sirius merely stared at her for a few long moments. "You are extraordinary," he said finally with a smile. "I suppose James doesn't know?"

"No, and it would be appreciated if it remained that way. Lily didn't want him to know." Sirius nodded.

"That's very good of you," Regulus agreed. "I won't tell James. Do Remus or Peter know?"

"Up until now, only Lily and I knew. So no, neither of them is aware."

Accepting this information, Sirius excused himself to finish dressing for the wedding. Ginny suspected that there had been some sort of communication between the brothers so that they would be left alone because Regulus turned to Ginny once his older brother had gone.

He evaluated what she was wearing. Jean shorts with a shirt and her favorite witches robe on top. Very casual. "You're not going to the wedding?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

"No I'm not. And I haven't told anyone but Remus yet. I'm sure to get an earful for it."

He shook his head. "No, they'll understand. You're remembering your brother's wedding right?" he asked and she nodded. She couldn't recall when she'd told Regulus about the wedding but she was sure she must have. She smiled. She felt happy that he would remember something so important to her.

Regulus put a hand on Ginny's knee and she wanted to shy away from it but she remained solidly in her seat. He looked so forcefully at her she found it hard to look away. "I'm glad that you're helping Lily. But I think you need to realize something. May I be honest with you?" Regulus asked cautiously.

"As brutally honest as I was with you," she answered immediately, hoping she would not regret it.

He began slowly, hoping this would not hurt her more than he intended it to. "Harry Potter, as you knew him, is dead. He's not coming back and from what we can discern you're not going home." He looked away from her now as if not seeing it with his own eyes would make the instant pain that flashed across her soft features disappear. But he kept on. "You will never have a relationship with him ever again. The ring on your finger…it's not a symbol of his love. It's a symbol of the responsibility he put on you, a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously and one that you've taken on admirably and without question. But just like I need to grow up and see that family is no match for true friendship and moral integrity, you need to see that you aren't going to get him back. You need to see that it's time to move on."

* * *

From across the garden Remus watched Ginny train. He stood by a tree at the very perimeter of the overgrown garden still in his old fashioned dress robes - they once belonged to Mr. Potter and were on loan. Remus had not allowed James to purchase new ones for him, granted he would most likely not be attending another dressed up event.

Remus had seen Ginny train before and had even trained with her before. For all of their assignments James made them create dueling strategies. But watching Ginny now he noticed, along with her natural dueling eloquence, a sort of expertise that he hadn't seen before. Never before had he seen her work so intensely or with so much focus. He couldn't quite place it but she seemed more in tune with herself, if even a bit more forceful. He watched closely, trying to figure out what it was that attracted him.

Ginny crouched, turned swiftly, and sent a curse over her left shoulder. She rolled as if a stunner was coming straight for her and she ducked beneath a branch, the wand arm of a Death Eater. Jabbing her wand at, the branch lit on fire, cracked, and fell to the ground. She moved right, then back dodging imaginary curses. Her jeans gathered grass and dirt stains as she slid across the ground throwing stunner after stunner, hitting flower petals and bugs crawling on the bushes. She looked like she was training for war…and he humbled himself because that's _exactly_ what she was doing.

He realized that she had her eyes closed and was instantly awestruck. She continued this round of jumps and turns and defensive spells blindly as though she were picturing herself in a different, more violent setting. Her face hardened with the strain. She was imagining adversaries using all of their strength to capture or kill her. Only pure experience could develop the technique that she had, the instinctual movements she forced her body to make. Perhaps she was not even imagining…maybe she was remembering, reliving a duel she'd been in before, reenacting it.

He was jerked forward from his thoughts when a particular nasty looking stunner jetted straight toward his chest. "Protego!" he called and the spell reverberated off the shield. Ginny's eyes popped open and she froze. Ginny's eyes popped open and she froze with her wand pointed in his direction. "It's only me," he assured her and when she didn't move he said, "I gave you a phoenix for Christmas."

"Don't sneak up on me like that Remus," she told him, readying herself for another round.

He held his hands up in defense. "Not sneaking, just watching."

Her head whipped back in his direction. "Oh." She must've been working harder than he thought because her face was bright red. She couldn't be blushing. She was too far away for him to tell and to remedy this he stepped closer. "So what are you doing here? I'd thought you'd left with the others for the wedding," she said using the back of her forearm to wipe away sweat from her forehead. She turned away from him and took a battle stance, did a quick pirouette to her left and fired a hex out towards the surrounding land.

"I did go. Gave them my best wishes. But it wasn't the place I was supposed to be."

"Where are you supposed to be?" she asked, panting.

"Here with you. You know, so you don't lose your mind."

"Right," she said noncommittally. Closing her eyes again she leapt away from him, spun, and shot a series of spells in as many directions.

He didn't know whether or not she was trying to ignore him but she sure acted like he was bothering her. "But I guess you've got your sanity close at hand so I'll go inside…"

"You should put on something worth dirtying and join me," she invited and Remus grinned. "I'll teach you what really happens in battle."

By the end of the afternoon, Remus was covered in tiny red welts. Instead of using stunners or really harmful spells, Ginny used a simple stinging jinx that mimicked the force of a stunner but without the effects. Unfortunately, Remus looked as though he had dragon pox.

Ginny had really given him a run for his money and she took all his galleons. When he arrived downstairs in shorts and an old t-shirt she placed him in the middle of the garden, told him simply to fight back, and began sending spells at him unannounced. He had barely anytime to react and for a good minute he stood frozen, getting sting after sting.

"Move somewhere Remus, you're dead by now!" she called to him from somewhere hidden. He jumped behind a tree and the stinging stopped, although the ones he'd gotten still lingered with pain. "You can't hide forever Moony," she taunted, sounding perilously like Bellatrix Lestrange. She sent another stinger under her arm and he sidestepped so that the stinger hit the tree instead of his face. She threw another and he dodged again, if only by the tail of his shirt and he sent one in her direction which narrowly missed. "Better," she said instructionally. "The more you dodge the less protective charms you'll have to use which means you'll be able to fire more offensive spells."

Another of her stingers grazed his shoulder. He wasn't fast enough against her. Trying to be on the offense he sent three stingers in her general direction but she expelled each one and sent two at him, one he dodged and the he didn't. "Slow down," he panted but not loud enough for her to hear.

The two of them kept at it with short breaks all afternoon, even ignoring Awner's request to serve them lunch. Remus had been exhausted after ten minutes and struggled to stand upright by the time Ginny called it quits when the sun was going down. James, Lily, and Peter would be back soon enough and they'd better get cleaned up. They were sweaty and covered in dirt from sliding on the ground.

There was no doubt training like this with Ginny would make him a better fighter. Even in the last few hours his timing had improved, his reaction time got shorter. He could still only barely fend off her attacks adequately but her speed forced him to be quick. He and the others too would need to train with her. Remus didn't know why they hadn't trained like it before. Maybe it was an undiscovered option until now but their practices were never going to get them as prepared as Ginny could.

"I'd thought I'd done pretty well against the criminals in our cases," Remus said. He sat in the kitchen with his shirt hiked up around his neck, leaning forward. She sat behind him with a swab.

Dabbing at his shoulder blade with Essence of Dittany, she hummed quietly. "You did. But Voldemort doesn't just let anyone become his Death Eaters. He can have as many followers but the ones we'll really be up against are much stronger, and much faster. More so than I am. Fenrir Greyback is strong but not enough to be branded with the Dark mark." She resumed humming.

"I'm not sure that's got much to do with lack of strength. He's not human, not good enough," Remus said through gritted teeth and whether it was from the sting of the Dittany or bitterness even he didn't know.

"I should've used a different example. Greyback's stupid. I wonder if he even realizes that under Voldemort's regime he would eventually get picked off himself? But you're right, Greyback isn't human," she said and Remus turned around to face her, quite appalled. Ginny pulled back the swab and gave him a half smile at which he frowned. "But regardless," she continued meaningfully, "don't be upset because Voldemort doesn't properly accept people with your condition. _You_ are still human. _You_ still have moral integrity and _you _still have a heart."

That heart of his glowed with relief and happiness. Remus absentmindedly reached for Ginny's hand and he held it tightly. Looking into her brown eyes he saw something he'd never really noticed before. Mingled with her mixed sense of confidence, overbearing responsibility, leadership, and a touch of fear he saw true uncertainty behind her eyes, an uncertainty that neither him nor Ginny quite understood. Trying to find answers from her was impossible but he felt as though he'd broken through her stone exterior.

"What happened?" cried the shrill voice of Lily Evans as she entered the kitchen and Ginny released his hand immediately turning to the table to flush the swab with fresh potion.

"Just a bit of training," Ginny said minimally and bent forward to dab Dittany to a tiny welt above his left brow.

"A bit of training?" Peter asked, setting his jacket down on a chair opposite them. "How intense were you training? You look like you've been attacked by a nest of wasps."

"We should all be training with Ginny. She knows what it's like to be in a duel with Death Eaters, not just silly criminals." Remus tried to catch Ginny's eye, to understand what had just occurred between them but she was purposefully avoiding his attention, focusing herself on a welt on his collar bone. He briefly wondered if she was impressed by his bare chest...

"You did that to him Ginny?" Lily asked.

"It's just a tiny Stinging Jinx. They can't even be the size of a knut. Besides, it's better than using stunners but it gives the same idea. How was the wedding?"

"She's really good at teaching too. You should watch her, she's incredible."

Ginny shrugged, dabbing more pointedly into a welt on his shoulder. "It's just experience. You'll have it soon enough. So the wedding?"

"Oh, Ginny, she was beautiful!" Lily doted and as she went one about the flowers and the cake and the dress and the vows, Ginny became swept up in listening. She put down the swab, as if forgetting Remus had been there at all and followed the green-eyed witch into the living room after James and Peter. Never before had he ever had the desire to hex Lily Evans.

But so suddenly did Remus find himself quite alone.

She was not a girl he was allowed to get involved. He couldn't pine after her. But she kept pulling him in deeper and he knew at one point he would become overwhelmed and not be able to help himself. If only he could put that off as long as possible, she might just disappear.

He couldn't stop thinking though that in that small space of time, just silent and uncertain, Remus had felt closer to Ginny than he ever had before.

* * *

**BAH! And the feelings are beginning to reveal themselves! What will happen? What will she do?**

**You'll have to read to find out!**

**I hate it when people advertise their other stories but I'm going to do it anyway, because it seems to work. I'd appreciate it if you took a look at View from Heaven.**

**But anyways please, _please_, PLEASE review! Incentive: I'll answer one question, a question within reason, to the best review I get. **


	26. Forgotten

**Thanks to: Kellsabelle, dancer4813, Jessica682, ctc, Angie Kangaroo, MuggleCreator, Cole the Demon Hunter, TimeToWriteIsHistory (whose reviews dearly missed), Blue Luver5000, Slytherinjunkie20, and Aeliid for their AWESOME reviews.**

**Also! The poll at the top of my profile is still up! It's interesting to me that my reviews and the poll give different opinions, even if it isn't by too large of a margin. Continue voting though!**

**As usual, Harry Potter does not belong to me. I don't even know why I write this, I'm not sure it's required. I mean, isn't the point of this site for FanFiction...? ;)**

* * *

Chapter 26: Forgotten

Regulus had gotten what he wanted. Every time he was at Potter Manor he saw that Ginny was distracted and perfectly confused. There was no doubt that his words had caused this.

"Why can't we have that case?" James was asking Dearborn. He'd just read in the Daily Prophet that a Death Eater by the name of Aiden Wardiggle had nearly been captured but escaped at the last moment, putting four Aurors into St. Mungo's.

"Because Wardiggle is powerful. He will destroy you lot," Dearborn said haughtily. Regulus loathed Dearborn. Not only did he clearly underestimate the strength and will-power of the group and took every opportunity to demean them with small book of vocabulary he had under his belt but he'd laid eyes on Ginny and although everyone else was bemused by this fact, Regulus only saw him as an irritating stitch in his side.

James fumed. "We are more than capable of bringing him in. We've got better stealth than any of the Auror teams and that's what's needed. He won't be able to slip through our fingers like he does the rest." Between both James' and Ginny's Invisibility Cloaks, the Marauders' aptitude for sneaky mischief, and Lily's wits it was perfectly true. The groups' ability to remain unseen was flawless.

"I am not sure you understand the extent of power these individuals have. I'm not just here to give you orders, I'm here to keep you alive," Dearborn tried to reason. Against his hatred for the man, Regulus had to admit Dearborn was a bit right. What chance could they have against someone who clearly can put up a fight against seven seasoned Aurors and not only just get away but seriously injure four of them into hospitalization? It was unheard of.

He turned his attentions back to Ginny who sat at her desk pouring over some paper or document or other, the feather of her quill jerking this way and that. Her face was hidden by her curtain of red hair but he imagined her eyes gleaming.

He knew Remus was with Lily and Sirius in the kitchen making lunch. Well, Lily was probably helping Awner and Remus, the honorable one, was probably attempting to help as well. He could imagine is brother just sitting there and watching. Regulus hadn't been upset that Remus had left the wedding to be with Ginny. He was upset that he hadn't thought of it first. Even when Ginny had left him to back to Potter Manor he hadn't considered following her.

And he should've done after what he'd said. He always complained that he missed spending time with her and that would've been the opportune moment. The only bright side was that it wasn't he who she covered in bright red welts. With a smug smile and a last glance at Ginny, Regulus returned to his work.

* * *

A few days later...

* * *

"Weasley…_Weasley…_WEASLEY!"

"Huh?" Ginny looked up from her pad of parchment to find Caradoc staring down at her from the other side of her cubicle. His big eyebrows really dominated his face in an astoundingly unattractive way. He would look much more severe if it weren't for his attire. He wore the same over-zealous robes he'd been wearing when she stunned him upon entering the threshold of Potter Manor. Harry wouldn't have been caught dead in something so flashy as that. Eyeing Dearborn, who stared at her like a disappointed mother does a misbehaving child, she sighed. She'd been thinking about Regulus and what he had said and they way he'd looked at her when he said it nearly non-stop since and she'd become quite the anti-social.

"What has gotten into you? Aren't you the one telling everyone to focus, and not be distracted? Potter's been on me about getting _better_ cases," he said sardonically, trying to procure an emotion from her. "Regardless, I've got a perfect case for your lot. I gave it to Potter."

"Than what are you talking to me for?" Ginny asked slightly annoyed. James had replaced Ginny as the ringleader since she'd become so preoccupied and Dearborn had gotten used to handing his assignments directly to James, who would give each of them a task in working it out. James was actually a rather good leader. He knew all their strengths and applied them wisely to every task they were given.

But Dearborn had apparently taken to Ginny now that her fierceness had abated. Since he'd gotten over her threats and blackmail he'd warmed up quite nicely to Ginny and it was remarkably irritating when she was thinking of someone else.

Why did she have to be the only available witch in a house so constantly filled with desirous wizards?

Sirius and James loved that Caradoc so obliviously showered her with attention and that she was so annoyed by it. They'd harbored some pent up troublemaking and unleashed it behind Dearborn's back when he would attempt to be suave around Ginny. They would follow around behind him mimicking his movements (arm reaches and hand-talking which Ginny found pigheaded and obnoxious) or would make swooning sounds from behind Ginny. Somehow Caradoc, the dimwit, thought they were coming from Ginny herself and it would encourage even more.

But James and Sirius didn't bother her. Actually, she found it difficult to keep a straight face while they fooled around. They reminded her plenty of Fred and George without the look-a-like appeal. Oblivious to it all, Caradoc would continue to prattle on, Ginny would randomly burst out laughing and she would have to explain why, make up something; they had to treat him like a superior as per the deal they'd made.

"I just thought I'd visit your cubicle, you know, see how you're getting on," he said casually, leaning an arm on the divider of her cubicle. He smiled down at her with his chin up so as to seem venerable but really she could just see up his big, fat, venerable nose. "Just checking up."

"I'm fine Dearborn," she told him shortly. She enjoyed it when Sirius and James would mock him but now she was not in the mood. Her thoughts were jumbled up and Regulus was to blame for it.

Put off, Dearborn retreated. "Well, the case has a suspected Death Eater. You better be on it soon."

"Mhm." She glanced over at Remus' desk where James was talking to him, Regulus and Peter about potential dueling tactics for this new assignment. They'd finished two in the last couple weeks and had gotten caught up in a fight with a few less than worthy Voldemort followers that weren't good enough to be Death Eaters. But it was a victory nonetheless. So far they'd captured three followers, which was better than what they would've done without the Ministry. If it weren't for that she would've ditched Dearborn and the Ministry altogether.

"Ginny, we should decide when we want to approach this man. He's projected to be in his mid thirties but he doesn't pair up with any other Death Eaters, hopefully to his detriment," Lily said. She sat in the cubicle behind her, and Lily turned her chair to face Ginny.

Shaking her thoughts away Ginny allowed Lily to coax her back into her job.

"He's been seen often at the Leaky Cauldron having a spot of tea or two, as if he could care less who sees him. He's trying for it, I think, egging the Ministry on. That's what makes me uncomfortable. He may travel alone but if he thinks he's strong enough to put himself under the nose of the Ministry like he's not even 'wanted' he might be bad news," Lily explained as she flipped through the man's file.

Ginny nodded. "He might be testing the waters, trying to see what kind of Aurors they'll send. If they're strong he'll find himself worthy or some other ridiculous Death Eater ideology."

"They're sending us though, so he can't be such a threat, right?" Lily asked and Ginny shrugged. She didn't really know what the Ministry took into consideration when they gave Caradoc assignments to give to them. "You'd think if he were such a high profile criminal they would've sent… I dunno, Alastor Moody or someone."

At the name, which Lily had thrown out casually, Ginny started. His name had been in the Prophet numerous times already for stopping Death Eaters in their tracks so he was a well known Auror, almost to the point of infamy. But he was known well at least among the fighters. Every time Ginny heard his name she thought "Constant vigilance!"

"You're right, he shouldn't be too difficult to take down, especially if he's lazing about the London bar. But we can't be too careful. Perhaps we can have just a couple of us, you know approach him. The rest hidden, maybe behind the bar or under the Cloaks. He'll think he's off easy, might even be a bit of blow to his ego having only two non-Aurors after him. Then we ambush him."

"We'll have to have a little more than just 'ambush him' as our plan but that's the general idea. James and I could probably approach him blunt face and see what his motives are before we start a fight. If we even can."

"Wait." Ginny rolled her eyes. She saw it coming before Lily said anything. Lily would ask why James and say it was always James who took the lead. But instead, Lily surprised her. "Why you? Haven't we already figured that putting you one on one with a Death Eater is a very bad idea?"

"I wouldn't be one on one, that's why I've got James. And you'll all be around me, it doesn't matter that you're hidden."

"Yes but you'll be so vulnerable to really being seen. When there're plenty of us fighting you go by just as noticed as the rest of us. We do that so there isn't a particular focus on you," Lily explained.

"But they don't know they should target me personally, whether I fight them face on not. To them I'm just any other fighter," Ginny protested.

"But you won't be, not if we do any good. Even Alice and Frank got higher protection because of their performance. The two of them alone have done nearly as much as all of us."

When did that happen? Ginny asked herself. She remembered Neville Longbottom in his final days at Hogwarts and during the battle…she was not surprised.

"Fine then, it won't be me. Re-… Sirius and James can do it then. Or Peter."

Lily raised her brows. "Or me."

"Of course. I just don't think James would allow it," Ginny said.

"It isn't up to him," she noted somewhat bitterly.

"Lily, can I talk to you?"

From beside them James approached with file in hand looking directly at Lily and she looked down at the copy in her own hands.

"Er…yea, what is it?" she asked barely looking up at him. He stood in front of Ginny blocking her view of Lily.

"In private, please. Perhaps, outside," he suggested.

With a large sigh, Lily put down her quill and followed James through the kitchen and out the back door with the file still in her hand.

Her eyes followed the couple into the kitchen until they disappear behind the wall. Sitting back in her chair, Ginny wondered why she'd changed her mind about who she suggested James fought with…

Ginny felt a hand on her back. "Would you fancy me from somewhere else, Dearborn?" she snapped, turning around to find Sirius instead. "Oh. Sirius, I'm sorry."

"A bit ornery you are this afternoon," he noted with a smile. "I like it better when you're like this. Much better insults, you come up with. 'Fancy me from afar.' I like that," he joked.

"Shut it, will you. He's a pain in my neck, just standing around staring and doing _nothing._ And what is James doing, we're supposed to be working."

Sirius grabbed her wrist and stood her up. "Ginny, I'm only doing this because you're practically Lily's sister with the red hair and the whole blood thing," he shuddered for effect. "…otherwise, I'd just watch by myself but I think you'll enjoy it."

"What are you talking about?"

Sirius grinned and led her to the window that overlooked the garden where Lily was glowering up at James. The garden seemed fitting for this expression as it was half destroyed now that the group had taken to Ginny's way of training. Branches were hanging by a string of bark from their middles and flowers were burnt to a crisp. The grass had been pulled up in multiple spots along the lawn. Even the little bench that was the Potters' had char marks and stinger holes. Sirius opened the window just a crack.

"James, you haven't spoken to me in days and now you're demanding that we speak in private. What's this all about?"

Concerned, Ginny turned to Sirius with a questioning look. Maybe she'd been a bit too focused on herself. Lily hadn't told her James wasn't speaking to her. Had she really been so self-absorbed as to not notice her friends not speaking? Sirius shook his head, still grinning and pointed back to the pair through the window.

"I-I'm sorry… I know I've been a prat, it's just - "

"Spit it out will you?" Lily asked, crossing her arms.

"Lily-flower, be nice," Sirius scolded under his breath. Ginny gave an uncertain smile at the idea of Sirius Black scolding Lily Evans. Ginny didn't think he was brave enough to tackle scolding Lily up front.

James continued. "Well, with everything that's been going on it hadn't crossed my mind. I guess, you know, Ginny had already told us and we knew about Harry… somehow I just sort of felt like we were married already. But then when we were at Alice and Frank's ceremony and they were saying their vows I kept thinking what I would say differently from Frank's to you and I got to wondering why we hadn't said vows yet at all and I realized it was my fault. I hadn't asked you." James looked at Lily with the most apologetic expression Ginny had ever seen. "And then you know, I was trying to figure out how to properly do it and - "James cut himself off.

Lily's glower grew darker and more livid as he went on. "Do you mean to tell me," she began slowly, through gritted teeth, "that I've been waiting for months…_months,_" James flinched, "for you to say something," she released her arms from their entrapment over her chest and she smacked him across his head with the Death Eater's file that she still held in her hand with each angry word, "_and - you - FORGOT_ - _to bloody - well - propose!_ You are the most indolent, simple-minded boy I've ever had the displeasure to meet!_"_ She threw her arms into the air in frustration, flinging the file into the air and the papers inside showered around them like rain and James, who'd been lamely shielding himself from every blow fell backward as though he thought she were preparing to curse him. "If I weren't so bloody _in love _with you James Potter I'd say _no_!"

"So does that mean it's a yes?" James said hopefully from the ground.

Lily glared. "You haven't even _asked_ me yet!" she shouted.

Sirius poked Ginny's arm to get her attention and she pulled her eyes away from the couple. "This is true romance. Don't be fooled," he said as if a school teacher giving a lesson. He smirked. Ginny punched his shoulder lightly but grinned despite herself and he chuckled.

Instead of standing back up he only adjusted himself so that he was on one knee, kneeling and gazing up at her. Her expression transformed completely from a raging, neglected girlfriend to a little girl getting that very toy she'd been asking for _all year._ Removing his wand from his sleeve he tapped the bare soil in front of him and Ginny was instantly sorry she'd had a hand in destroying the once beautiful garden which would've been a much lovelier setting for this next moment.

"Lily Evans you are the light of my life. Since we were kids I knew I didn't want to be with anyone else but you. You've put up through years of my childish stupidity." From the soil now popped a bud which grew into a long stem and from the very tip bloomed the most extraordinary lily. As it bloomed they could see hidden in its center a golden ring with the simplest and clearest diamond. "I'm asking you to put up with a lifetime more of my idiocy because I'm stark crazy about you and there's no one else in the entire world I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. Lily, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Through tears Lily sniffled a "Yes!" and James leapt up lifting Lily around the waist and spinning her in a circle. He held her up while they shared a sweet kiss and then he reached down to retrieve the ring. Still in a half embrace, he slipped it onto her finger softly. It fit perfectly.

"Lily Evans, you have made me the happiest man in the world."

* * *

All Death Eaters forgotten, that evening was dedicated to celebration. Awner had enthusiastically decorated the whole manor in gold garland and tiny wedding bells for joy of a new mistress and she kept humming happily. Now and again Awner would tug lightly on Lily's robes, look up and give the green eyed witch the most ecstatic smile and Lily's eyes would light up and she would blush terribly.

Alice and Frank and Sirius and Regulus were invited over for dinner. Even Caradoc made an appearance. Owls came from every which way with scribbles of congratulations from peers and friends from Hogwarts. Ginny suspected the amount of celebration this evening would last for a few headaches in the morning but she was so happy for Lily that it didn't bother her at all.

Alice was absolutely thrilled and kept asking Lily about what she'd want to wear at her wedding and what flowers she imagined and the colors she wanted and she kept comparing it to her own wedding. Ginny hadn't gone to the Longbottom wedding, wasn't planning on attending James and Lily's wedding, and had not been married herself…reasonably, she was filled with chagrin at being left out of the conversation, even if it was by her own doing. But she found herself in the corner of the room after supper where everyone was lazing about and chatting good-humoredly. The very little seating area in the living room due to the cubicles left only a small love seat in front of the fireplace where Ginny sat alone, pondering the flames themselves. What did they remind her of?

She was trying to figure it out when Sirius pushed her over.

"Daydreaming are we?

"A bit yea," she admitted. "Thank you, by the way. For letting me watch."

"I thought it proper. You and I, you know, we're godparents."

Ginny cringed. Harry's godmother? "Heavens no. I'm trying to not be related to Harry. Well…I thought I could marry him one day but…" she trailed off.

"Becoming his aunt wasn't a good start at that," Sirius reminded her. "I still can't believe you drank Lily's blood."

"It doesn't matter anymore does it?" Ginny said gloomily. She thought about what Regulus had told her and leaned into Sirius.

Sirius threw an arm around her. "You never know. You may one day be married to your nephew. But don't worry, I don't judge," he said with a wink.

"That's…just deplorable."

* * *

"My Lord…you beckoned?"

The Death Eater knelt in front of Lord Voldemort in a small, dark room with one door and no windows. The chandelier hanging above them seem much too grandiose for the space but suited the also grandiose furnishings: a silver ornate chair with emerald velvet cushioning alongside an elaborate display of picture frames featuring smiling witches and wizards. Some of the frames had silver daggers plunged into the faces of the occupants.

"I have," said the Dark Lord in a slimy voice, one matching his snake-like appearance. Lord Voldemort was unnaturally pale and his veins could be seen crawling up his neck, around his ears and lost in his dark matted hair. His nose was not prominent but more so than it would ever be in the future. His eyes had not yet turned bright red but the menacing, glowering look about him made him seem just as inhumane, just as intimidating.

The Death Eater bowed his head, eyes gleaming. "What is it that you require of me, my Lord? It is an honor to perform your bidding."

"Yes," Voldemort hissed. "Travers, you've been playing hide and seek with the Ministry for months now. I see it time to make your hours spent drinking firewhiskey in the Leaky Cauldron _useful."_

Martin Travers grinned up at Voldemort as if it was this at last what he'd been waiting to hear. "I'm sure your brilliant mind has thought up a marvelous plan."

"I'd like to make an example out of your next opponents, whomever they might be," the Dark Lord informed his stalwart subordinate. He stood from his throne-like perch and walked around the small space, apparently deep in revering thought. He stroked his chin poisonously. "Don't lose your wand Travers. And when they've got you…bring them here, to me."

Travers laughed from deep in his throat. "As you wish my Lord."

* * *

**Evening all. So I've just gotten through another round of exceptionally deplorable exams. I apologize for my truly pattern-less updates but I hope you're still keeping with me. And if you are, I'm not sure why but I'm glad nonetheless, even if I am completely hopeless!**

**So again, I'd really love for you all to vote. It's so weird how the reviews and votes don't match.**

**I'd loved reviews if you've got the time. It would really brighten the dreary past week I've had. And as always, enjoy reading.**


	27. The Unexpected Companion

**Thanks to: Blue Luver5000, RavenclawSeeker19, TimeToWriteIsHistory, Angie Kangaroo, Jessica682, ctc, Cole the Demon Hunter, Kellsabelle, and Lyssasoulless for reviewing!**

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Chapter 27: The Unexpected Companion

Ginny woke that morning looking at the same thing she'd fallen asleep watching: the glowing phoenix Remus had given her for Christmas. She realized she'd taken to staring at it before bed as it grew, died, and bloomed again. She watched it over and over until she fell asleep. Llike a lullaby sung to her by her mother, it was the only constant in her life. It and Remus.

Turning her eyes away from it she found without surprise that Lily's bed was empty. With James's proposal came a lonely bedroom. Lily hadn't quite moved into his room but hadn't necessarily removed herself from his room. Sirius thought it was rather comical and spent a few breaths at every meal to say a few inappropriate comments which made Lily turn bright red. Ginny just felt isolated. Of course, she'd never admit it, not when Lily was so god awfully delighted. And every time James said something sweet to her or she rubbed his arm dotingly Ginny felt the need to look around and find Remus. But as if her neck were made of stone, she never did.

Her first attempt to rise from her bed informed her that she had definitely not gotten enough rest for what she intended they do that day and it made her anxious. It was still dark out and she crawled out of bed without much conviction but she couldn't fall back asleep. She rubbed the little sleep she'd gotten wearily from her eyes.

After mulling over her options, Ginny tiptoed down the hall. She'd have Floo'd to Regulus's but he shared the place with his brother and Sirius was the last person she wanted to get involved with her thoughts. So instead, she silently crept into Remus's room. She didn't approach him but merely stood with her back against the inside of the now closed door and watched him.

He was tangled haplessly within his bedspread; it was clear he'd had a restless night's sleep. One bare arm jutted straight out over the side of the bed with his hand clenched. The other was lost somewhere underneath the mess. Still, he retained a kind of ease to his position, as if, though it looked very uncomfortable, he had grown accustomed to it. The cuts on his hand and the half of his face she could see and probably countless other places on his body were only beginning to fade and the next full moon was in a few days. Somehow, he was more wolfish in his sleep than he was awake and she wondered if he made an effort during the day to be more calm and gentle.

Before the wedding he'd wanted to ask her something but she'd hardly paid attention because she was too focused on Regulus and _not_ going to the wedding. Had he tried to ask her to the wedding like Neville had asked her to the Yule Ball? Had Remus meant what he said romantically when he'd given her the phoenix? _It's to show you that something can be beautiful, and can flourish, and can die…but something just as beautiful can grow again. And you'll never forget the first time you saw it grow…but you will never forget to appreciate each time it grows again._ That's what he'd told her. But it had been months ago. The summer was nearly over and they'd spent so much time together, fighting, training, planning, living in the same place. She hadn't seen it then but now she thought twice about everything he said. He'd skipped Alice and Frank's wedding and instead spent the day training with her. Did Remus fancy her? More importantly did she fancy him in return? And if they did fancy one another what did that mean for them? Surely her responsibilities were of much more importance than any feelings she might have. But he knew about her responsibilities. He respected them and respected her and he was even committed to help her, no matter what. She would not have to hide anything from him like Harry had done to her.

Not that she didn't understand why Harry had kept her in the dark. But she couldn't help but believe that he'd only told her in the end because he was desperate. _And dead_.

Remus was alive, so alive, and at no current risk of dying. Until Ginny put him at risk of course. Like today, when she would tell them all she wanted to confront Travers, the middle aged Death Eater they'd been monitoring in the Leaky Cauldron for the past few weeks.

She looked at his scars again and wondered which were self-inflicted during the full moon and which were from duels he'd had over the summer with Britain's wizarding hooligans. The least shocking of these scars reminded her of Bill and Ginny wondered fleetingly how Fleur had really handled the thought of how close he'd been to being like Remus. Would she have cared if Bill had become a werewolf? Tonks hadn't minded. But even in her time the term alone, 'werewolf,' was the closest to a taboo word, except perhaps 'Voldemort.' If she hadn't been around Remus so much throughout her life she too would probably feel the usual pang of fear associated with proximity to a werewolf. It's all ignorance and ungrateful werewolves like Greyback that gave them all a soddy reputation. Remus didn't deserve that. Her heart dropped. What did that mean?

What had she thought she was going to accomplish by sneaking in here? It only served to make her more confused. What if she was thinking all of this for nothing? Regulus would get a kick out of it when she told him, if anything.

"What are you doing here?"

Ginny jumped so violently she nearly tripped over herself and onto the floor but grabbed hold of the dresser corner and steadied herself. Even though she'd been staring straight at him she hadn't realized his eyes had opened until he'd spoken.

"Not that I am attempting to imply that I should want you to leave but you seem a little shaken." Remus was incredibly well spoken. Even at Merlin knows what hour he was not only cable of forming cohesive and complete sentences, but he was able to design them eloquently. It bizarrely reminded her of Hermione, who was flawlessly correct at any hour.

He sat up and she saw his bare chest which was ravaged with even more scars that crisscrossed in severe designs from his neck to his waist. He looked down at himself because surely her eyes had widened at the sight. He did not attempt to cover it. "Just, you know, battle wounds of the afflicted," he explained with a half smile.

Ginny nodded, slightly abashed. She forced her eyes to meet his. "How long have you been awake?"

"Only a few minutes. Are you all right?" he pushed his hand through his sandy hair with one hand and patted the space on the bed beside him. "What time did you wake up?"

"I dunno," she replied, sitting beside him. The skin of his arm was warm against her shoulder. "Early. Did I wake you up?"

"No. I've got a sort of mental alarm clock. Sun'll be rising soon, I expect."

"Do you wake up like that every morning? What else does that? I can't remember where I read it."

"A wolf, Gin."

She laid her head on his shoulder and felt one of his raised scars on her temple. "That's right. Howls with the moon and rises with the sun." She'd learned that when Professor Snape had given them reading on werewolves when Professor Lupin had been ill back in her second year.

"Less about my well-known wolfish tendencies and more about why you've sneaked into my room at dawn. What's going on?"

"I want to tend to Travers today, that's all," she told him with only the last bit being untruthful.

"I think today's a good day too," he replied to her surprise. "Lily's got us all planning the very smallest detail when we know for sure that nothing will go as planned. There's never been a plan that's gone through the way we want and we've done alright. He's sat in the same seat there for the three weeks we've kept an eye on him. I don't think it'll change today merely because we've decided to take action. And besides, I think Sirius is getting impatient. But is this the only reason you're so anxious? I know this is the biggest case we've ever had to handle but you're not usually jittery before assignments. That's usually Peter."

"Well, it's…you," she stammered and his gazed sharpened, "…you…should know that Travers killed a lot of people I knew. If he gets killed today, I'll be saving the lives of many witches and wizards that I was close to. A lot rides on how well today goes."

The lie, although as she said it she realized it wasn't really untruthful, slipped from between her teeth before she could manage to buck up and say what she'd really meant to. But with the weight of the day's tasks on her shoulders she reminded herself it wasn't the best time to admit anything that didn't have any confirmation anyways.

It was a couple short hours that Remus and Ginny spent in the kitchen alone making and eating breakfast before Awner, extremely unhappy, told them they were to wake her if they desired anything from the kitchen. Remus and Ginny assured her that they were capable of gathering a few ingredients for pancakes without her help and that she worked hard enough already and needed as much rest as they did. She mumbled something about ungrateful wizards but hugged Ginny's and Remus's shins good-naturedly.

Standing at the counter, Ginny took the last bite of syrupy cakes and put the plate they'd shared in the sink. "It's about time the rest wake up though. A bit of warning might do them well."

"Awner can do it Miss Ginny," the little house-elf volunteered and with a small _CRACK_ she vanished.

Remus put on some tea and as expected, Lily was first to arrive in the kitchen.

"Awner is quite the alarm clock," Lily told them, wrapping her robe around her. She nodded at Remus for tea. "Sugar please."

"Why has Awner been instructed to wake us all?" James complained, taking the cup of tea meant for Lily from Remus's hands. Remus frowned at him but Lily shrugged. "This is awful Remus, by the way."

"Then give it to Lily, it was meant for her anyways. You don't even like tea."

"It's going to take a lot more than tea to wake me up. It's seven-thirty in the morning."

"That's hardly too early. Besides, it'll take a few hours to wake up Sirius. I want to get Travers today," Ginny said.

"You tell him that and he'll be out of bed in an instant," Peter said with a yawn from the entryway.

* * *

Ginny and Remus were already hidden inside when James and Sirius entered the bar for the fifth time that week, this time complaining about "Johnson" and how he never cleaned the cauldrons properly. Remus watching them, Ginny kept an eye on their target.

"I swear there was still powdered lavender root stuck like a film to the inside. If I hadn't noticed right as I was adding the rat fang serum I would have been blasted half way across the country!" James said with a dramatic wave of his arms.

Sirius nodded and shrugged, clapping a hand on his companion's back. "Well, at least you noticed it beforehand. Harrington will be in St. Mungo's for some time. He'd had a drink of the Felix Felicis but it was off because of whatever grime was stuck to the cauldron before he brewed it. You know how dangerous it is to have an incorrectly brewed Felix. He's lucky he hasn't keeled off yet."

"Exactly. I mean, why have a cauldron cleaner if he can't even do it properly? They should pay us bits of his salary to do it ourselves!"

The duo played off one another very well. Ginny was impressed with how easily they came up with rubbish off the top of their heads and it actually sounded true. They'd been keeping up this workman's banter for a few weeks, pretending as though they were arriving to the bar for a drink after a long day's work in a potion making business. It was astonishing how much the both of them knew (or were able to make up) about potion making. It didn't matter anyways, because no one questioned them. Everyone in the bar had been keeping to themselves. Passing those seated at small tables, James and Sirius sat right at the bar a few seats away from Travers and ordered two firewhiskeys.

Ginny's eyes darted to the bulky Death Eater who paid them no attention. The first afternoon they'd shown up he'd watched them for a perilously long time; it was so long she was afraid he'd attack then and there. But eventually he turned away, deciding they were not a threat and had ignored them each day they'd come in since.

So likely, he was not interested in either James or Sirius but instead was having a quiet conversation with a slight man who sat beside him. His face was turned from Ginny but she readied her wand; whatever Remus said that morning about changes, this was the first time Travers had ever had company.

"It's a shock that he's not been sacked yet. He's nearly killed a few of us. How are we supposed to make proper potions if we're worried our cauldron with explode halfway through brewing!"

She watched the dark haired stranger overhear the conversation and lean forward only enough to glimpse James and Sirius. His head jerked in the opposite direction, in her direction. She caught her breath and grabbed hold of Remus' arm when the near frantic Severus Snape gazed straight at her.

"Quiet, we're under the Cloak. He can't see us," Remus whispered. They stood together under her Invisibility Cloak against the far wall and somewhere on the wall opposite them were Lily and Peter under James's cloak. Regulus stood lethargically somewhere in Diagon Alley, waiting.

Snape turned to Travers and muttered something indistinct and removed himself from the bar, hiding his face from the two boys. Surely as a gifted potioneer, he knew all that they were saying was rubbish, yet he hadn't said anything to his companion. When she noticed Snape walking around the room with his left arm awkwardly held out in from of him Ginny's realized why.

Remus tensed. "What's he doing?" he asked quietly as the man strayed farther away from him and toward Lily and Peter. She hoped Lily understood what was happening and moved.

"He knows we are here," Ginny told him. "He's looking for Lily." Snape saw James and knew they were lying. There was no doubting he assumed Lily was hidden under the cloak somewhere. Even to his own distaste he could not merely forget the fact that she was dating James Potter. They were always together.

Ginny slipped a piece of her red hair from the cloak so that it would look as though it had merely been missed when she'd put the cloak on; a floating lock of red hair. Remus gave her an agonizing look and she shook her head. "It's alright he won't hurt me," she told him confidently, the same way she would describe the potential harm from a timid puppy. If she knew the Snape Harry had shown her in his memories, in Snape's own memories, he would not risk revealing her if he thought she was Lily. "Just keep your eyes on Travers."

It took some time for Snape to look around and notice her stray hair. He passed the spot where Lily and Peter were supposed to have been empty handed and made his way around the room. He didn't gather any cursory glances from the other patrons like anyone normally would have. Instead, those sitting at tables became sparser as they laid their galleons on the table and discreetly slipped into Diagon Alley.

When a Death Eater takes a stroll around the room, nothing good can come of it, apparently. Nearly every witch and wizard brave enough to even show up to the Leaky Cauldron with Travers around had dispersed since Snape's run around. James and Sirius still bantered unawares. Or they were just great actors.

Snape looked up at Travers, who was still lazily sipping his drink, when he approached Ginny to make sure he was facing away. Snape allowed his finger to brush through her hair and it sent eerie chills down her spine. He would be sending curses at her if he knew she wasn't Lily. Ginny had to squeeze Remus' hand hard to settle him. The restraint Remus must've been harboring from tackling Severus Snape as he allowed his finger to curl into what he thought was Lily Evans' hair had him gripping Ginny's hand as though it alone was keeping him alive. Snape leaned over. Miraculously his mouth paralleled right with her left ear. "Trap," he breathed. He stood a moment longer before and then added, "Be safe," as an afterthought.

But this was not to be. At the same moment Travers stood and searched the room for Snape, probably wondering where the young Death Eater had gone off to. Sirius was the first of those visible to see him move and follow his line of sight to recognize Snape.

"Reducto!" he shouted aimed straight toward the greasy-haired wizard but Snape, pushing into a still disguised Ginny dodged. Travers turned and sent a curse at Sirius which was blocked by James.

Ginny was now lying on the floor with a struggling Remus on her right side and a terrified Snape on the other. He seemed indecisive, his wand drawn but no spells erupting from it. When another curse came hurdling toward them and only missed by an inch the resolve in his face marked his decision. Snape turned and grasped Ginny's hand, the only thing having been removed from its haven beneath the cloak. Ginny let go of Remus's hand. Looking up to see if Travers was watching Snape found he was looking away at Sirius, sending a curse that James blocked again. The instant he Disapparated he saw Lily reveal herself across the room and send another curse, leaping toward James with remarkable fear in her eyes as James himself leapt over at Travers.

Snape gasped, but it was too late.

They landed in an abandoned playground that Ginny immediately recognized when she had gotten over the gut wrenching discomfort and had sufficiently gotten her eyes out of the bright sun. She shot up, taking in her surroundings. Snape was already standing, glaring at her.

"You… you're not…"

Ginny thought frantically of the others. "Don't you check who's beside you before you Disapparate him to the other side of the country!"

Snape faced her and crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly, he did not view her as a threat. "Sorry if I don't remember that Lily's got a new friend with the same color hair!"

"Rubbish, of course you do! How can you forget torturing me and then having your own spells used against you by the sole love of your life!"

Snape was severely taken aback by this comment. He looked absolutely baffled and nearly stumbled over himself even though he was standing quite still. "How do you…I've never…" He stuttered a bit more before he figured he could no longer communicate with his words and instead directed his wand at her.

"Oh bloody hell Snape." She raised her wand. "I've wanted to hex you countless times since I've met you and that was long before I even knew how to hex anybody! Now I've been taught plenty, I've even invented a few myself, and about twenty hexes come to mind right now but I have no intention to use any of them. Only if you force my wand. Put your wand down." Snape didn't budge but did not attack her either. He was probably trying to work out the confusing mess of words she'd just spewed out a mile a minute. "I haven't told any of them and I'm not going to," she said wiggling her wand. She held out her other hand toward him and he eyed it like it was crawling with dungbeetles. He studied her for a while, probably conjecturing whether or not she was trustworthy. "Don't you want to go back and help what's surely turned into a duel? You're the one who said it was a trap."

At the word "trap" Snape's eyes widened in fear and leapt forward for her hand and they Disapparated.

They ended up in a side hallway just off the bar but they heard nothing. The Leaky Cauldron was quiet except an occasional forceful bang, like someone punching a wall. Ginny walked from the hall.

Sirius kicked a bar stool across the room, the source of the sound. Remus still lamely held the Invisibility Cloak as if it were still hiding Ginny inside of it. Regulus sat in a chair that had not yet been over turned by Sirius with his elbows resting on his knees and a hand through his hair.

"Ginny!" Peter exclaimed with relief when he saw her. Snape had remained behind. "Thank Merlin. We'd thought you'd gone too!" Remus had hold of her in two long strides and she fell into his embrace easily.

"Remus, get away from her! Do I have a godson?" Sirius asked her, his wand up.

By nature she grasped for Remus' hand, staying close to him. He did not move away. "Not yet, but you will. His name will be Harry." Remus put an arm over her shoulder and gave Sirius a look that said, "Of course it's her."

Sirius studied her resolutely. "Fine," he said, glancing from her to Remus. He retracted his wand and kicked another chair.

"What's happened?" she asked. Sirius scowled morosely.

"James and Lily are gone. We've no idea where they are," Peter said. Ginny turned behind her to Snape but she heard a sullen grumble and a loud CRACK! and she knew he was gone too.


	28. Once Defied

**Thanks to: Audrey Wilson, Cole the Demon Hunter, RavenclawSeeker19, AttitudeQueen5287, Jessica682, Angie Kangaroo, sthrnpanther06, Blue Luver5000, Kellsabelle, Just Silence, Twilight-95, Beaufale, Audery Wilson for reviewing, favoriting, and story alerting. It really means so much to me that even when I fail to update on any kind of schedule that many of you continue to read and give me feedback!**

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Chapter 28: Once Defied

"Protego!"

"Stupefy!"

Travers crumpled to the ground with a force neither James or Lily had ever produced from a wand and both of them had set the same spell on him. They looked forth, and with an advantage of surprise, three more Death Eaters dropped like flies on blistering summer day within seconds. The couples' wands moved quickly and with purpose.

"Avada Kedavra!" they heard from different directions. But they were protected by Lily's quick thinking. "Expelliarmus!" Wands flew into the air and James caught one, breaking it clean in half with a blasting curse.

James turned on his heel and with his wand arm bent around his back he sent a curse behind them, effectively knocking out a Death Eater whose mask was dark but had long nearly white hair draping around his shoulders.

"Avada – "

"Mobilicorpus!" Lily flung her arm outwards and a cloaked body flung through the air and hit the ceiling, falling treacherously to the ground.

_Expulso,_ Lily thought and a thousand bits of pressurized bullets shot from her wand. Two Death Eaters flew backwards into darkness where they slammed against a wall with a loud _thud! _Over her breathing, Lily could hear their limp bodies slide down the wall and slump on the hard floor.

All was quiet.

Inside the sphere of protection Lily had created they chanced a quick glance at one another with wands stilled ready and then they returned to truly absorb their surroundings. They were inside a hall that seemed to have no end because it was so dark. There were ornate carvings along the baseboards and golden wallpaper that shimmered from the sheer amount of light from one tiny window in the corner of the room. It took all of their courage to keep their jaws up with their wands. Lord Voldemort sat, domineering, right outside the ever too thin protective charm.

The Dark Lord, with curious, almost smiling eyes, studied them carefully, his wand twirling back and forth in his hand. His intent was clear. He was going to kill them, here and now. Why he hadn't done so yet had nothing to do with the flimsy shield circling them like a globe.

James counted. Only Voldemort stood before them; together, he and Lily had taken down five Death Eaters. They'd be doomed if any of them miraculously woke up, but they probably would not. They could do this. They could win. Or get away at least.

Lily immediately closed her mind because she thought of so many things all at once. When she felt she could concentrate on both Occlumency and the Dark Lord she spoke. "Why've you instructed him to bring us here?" she asked, pointing with her left hand at Travers. "To bring anyone here. Obviously, you aren't looking specifically for us."

The Dark Lord's brows raised and he looked pleased. "You're very sharp." He stood and circled his throne-like chair lazily. "You really want to know? My initial plan was to have whichever brave and idiotic soul brought to me by Travers killed and hung quite decoratively in the Atrium of the Ministry."

Both were surprised by his honesty and each felt their neck's tighten at the thought.

"Then why haven't you murdered us yet?" James asked.

At this moment, a figure Apparated into the background that was too dark for either of them to make out.

"Who are they Snape?" Voldemort asked and Snape stepped forward, toward his master's side. James growled.

"James Potter," he said rather too loud, "and Lily Evans," he finished quietly.

"Repeat the name of the witch."

Snape sighed. "Lily Evans." Voldemort sat again and studied his own wand.

After a drawn out moment of seemingly integral thought, Voldemort continued. "I have not killed you yet because I am delighted that I've been brought James Potter and Lily Evans. I think I shall recant my primary idea; there is a superfluous abundance of fools who will step into any trap I lay. Instead I present you both an offer you _cannot_ refuse." The Dark Lord smiled devilishly. "I've heard about you both. Plenty. You are both enormously powerful. Our cause would flourish with you both by my side. I would like to extend a very rare invitation to each of you. To join me."

The only thing they could see beside Voldemort was Snape and death.

"Do you really want the both of us?" Lily asked, her hand clenching around her wand. "You should know now before we answer you that my blood is as muddy as it gets." Her voice was icy and she sent a glance at Snape as she said it.

From deep in the Dark Lord a throaty, faithless laugh erupted. "You are a fiery witch Lily Evans."

Ignoring him, Lily further questioned Lord Voldemort. "You've made it clear you believe pureblood to be the higher blood status. But will you so kindly overlook my blood status as you do Snape's? As you do your own?"

Snape looked to his master almost frantically and then instantly returned his steady uncaring façade back to Lily. The Dark Lord did not reply but his nostrils flared in distaste.

"I thought not," Lily said boldly.

"And if we refuse your generous offer?" James asked.

Voldemort laced his overgrown fingers together over his wand and studied Lily menacingly. She showed no fear, although there was little doubt what his reply would be.

"Then I will continue with my original plan."

Snape, already rigid, stiffened. The grotesque image of Lily hanging from the neck in mid-air, eyes open but unseeing, heart displayed but not beating, shook his skull, his chest, and yet his feet could not be forced to move. Not yet, not when she still had her options.

"Consider your invitation declined," James said instantly. "If we're meant to die in this war it'll be as martyrs for the right side."

"Very well-"

"Wait," Snape interrupted, his voice crisp with desperation, and he saw his master grip his wand more tightly in irritation. "The invitation goes out to you both individually. Separately." Snape tried his hardest to plead with his eyes. "What's your choice?" He looked pointedly at Lily.

Lily Evans frowned at him. "I couldn't agree more with my fiancé. I'd rather die for those who deserve to live than live only to deserve to die." She grasped James's hand with her left and Snape's eyes flicked down to her wedding finger, where indeed a simple golden ring with a bright yet delicate diamond sat. Holding tight to his composure and letting the image of the emerald ring he'd have given her drift away, Snape nodded curtly.

"Stupefy!" James shouted and Snape crumpled to the floor in heap of grease.

"Reducto!" Lily screamed with her wand at Voldemort but he was quick and his block was massive. He sent a flash of green light at her that passed through and shattered their barrier. James shoved her out of the way and it missed his hand by an infinitesimal space.

"If you won't be mine then you just simply won't be!" Voldemort declared, sending more green light at them than the Floo but somehow they were blocking and running and remaining alive.

There was nothing to hide behind. The only piece of furniture in the room was Voldemort's throne and he remained seated even while sending the Killing Curse Out at every moment. Lily and James both sent spells but none could touch him.

"Apparate Lily. You've got to get out of here!" James called over the bangs. Lily grabbed hold of James's hand and she flicked her wand but nothing happened. Fear rippled through him. The Dark Lord must've put an enchantment on the room just after Travers Apparated inside. He and his fiancé were going to die tonight and be hanged by the throat for everyone to see.

"Avada Kedavra!" Lily yelled but the spell missed the Dark Lord entirely, gouging a deep hole in the stone floor a foot beside him.

His eyes gleamed with the chase. "You can't kill me! It's impossible!" Voldemort was laughing at them. His tongue hung from his lips as he grinned wide, watching his lab rats scurry across the room, searching for escape. Lily hugged the wall, looking for a door and James stood in front of her, blocking every curse.

"Death surely comes for you as power comes to me! You're fools to run away from it!"

James felt hope drift from his chest. Lily kept dragging him down the side of the room where it was getting brighter and he thought they should find a darker place, where he would be less likely to see them.

"We'll defy you now and twice more," she screamed. "You can hope for it!"

Lily was hovering two feet taller than normal. Her wand hand stuck out of the tiny window in the corner that she could barely reach but it was enough. Her wand stood outside of the Apparition barrier around the room and hand in hand, she turned, and they were gone.

* * *

If ever in his life James had wanted to kiss Lily senseless, now was the perfect time. And when they landed wherever it was they did he grabbed a fistful of her long hair and smacked her lips clean against his. Her lips were warm and her breath hot and against his own chest he could feel her heart beating wildly, beautifully. His beloved was so wonderful, so smart, so breathtakingly brave he couldn't believe that she was his.

They were alive, nearly unscathed, and away from potential harm. James could've had her right where they stood but Lily pulled away, tears in her eyes. Her lips were cherry red.

Upon surfacing, he realized they were in Lily's bedroom at her parent's house. Mercifully the door was closed.

"Don't you lose hope like that ever again, do you hear me?" she demanded. "I heard it; Legilimency, remember? First of all, you've got to be sure you're employing Occlumency when you're near him and second of all you promise me that you will keep fighting for your own life until it's officially lost."

"But I did!"

She pushed his chest hard. "No you fought for me. I won't live with myself if you've gone because you were too busy protecting me. We're in this together, and don't you forget that. Most importantly, we'll be seeing him again. At least twice more. So don't forget this. Don't forget to use Occlumency or fight for yourself as much as humanly possible. Don't forget how it feels to be alive right now. Have I made myself clear?"

Silence fell upon them. James was unsure how to reply. How on earth had she been capable of remembering all that herself, while performing Legilimency on him, and finding them an escape from the treacherous hands of the Dark Lord? All he wanted to do was make love to her for being so damn brilliant but she was tapping her foot and waiting for his reply.

"Lily? Is that you?"

"Damn," Lily muttered under her breath. "Yes mum, give me one moment." Quickly, she transfigured James's robes and her own into Muggle clothing and attempted to comb James's hair down after brushing her own. She wiped their faces clean of any smudge.

With her wand directed at her fiancé she said, "We've come to give them the good news and don't you say a word about what's just happened."

James merely nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything.

When they arrived downstairs Her parents were waiting at the kitchen table drinking tea. It was nearly dinner-time and James could smell a roast something and whatever it was it made his mouth water.

"You know you can come straight into the kitchen," her mother said instantly, getting up and embracing her daughter. She hugged James too. "What took so long upstairs?"

Lily froze. Somehow, she was dumbfounded upon how to answer and James was completely floored by how his fiancé could remember every little necessary detail in the midst of life-threatening battle but couldn't conjure an insignificant lie to answer her harmless mother.

Mischief is best left to Marauders, he thought. "She was trying rather fruitlessly to comb down the back of my hair. It never has agreed to sit politely along my scalp. She thinks it's ghastly but I've always thought it gave me character."

Daisy smiled. "He's very charming Lily."

Lily popped a kiss on her father's head and sat at the table. "I'm glad you think so. We've got some good news."

James shook Lily's father's hand.

"I was going to ask you to stay for dinner," he nodded and smiled, "but I see that you're hoping to stay much longer than that. Welcome to the family."

* * *

Three days later James was still thinking about the first time he'd ever seen his soon-to-be wife use an Unforgivable Curse. It was not only so unlike her to use it in the first place but very uncharacteristic of her to miss her target entirely, even if it was eventually blocked. He confronted her one morning about it, concerned.

"The snake was on the floor," she admitted. "I know it technically isn't a horcrux yet but I fleetingly wondered if I killed it then we'd have one less to go after."

"So is it dead?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I lost my conviction half-way through. And besides even if I had killed it there's nothing to say that he wouldn't make something else a horcrux in it's place and then we wouldn't know what it is and we'd be another step behind. I think it's safe to say that we keep our hands off the snake. If we don't finish him by the time he makes it a horcrux at least we'll know what it truly is."

* * *

**I know it's short, but I'm with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I pained over writing it! Please read and review!**


	29. Safe and Sound and Secrets

**Thanks to: Angie Kangaroo, TimeToWriteIsHistory, Blue Luver5000, catspaw439, StefanO, Jessica682, rusty3379, meandthedoctor, ctc, Beaufale, Queen of Night for reviewing, favoriting, and alerting!**

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Chapter 29: Safe and Sound and Secrets

Somehow, Ginny thought terribly, Dearborn must've jinxed those awful lavender robes to never become dirty because he was wearing them once again. She sat at her desk in the living room back at Potter Manor and watched him pace the length of the room with robes that pranced instead of billowed just by the nature of the color. It was abhorrent. Peter had rightly insisted they let Caradoc know what had happened to James and Lily straight away after they'd decided to return to the Manor since he was technically their superior and window to the Ministry if and when they needed help. It seemed a splendid idea until Dearborn immediately started muttering on about the Ministry and if he could properly convince his boss that it was they who had forced him to give them the upper level case and that he should not be punished over it. Both Remus and Regulus had to drag Sirius into the garden to keep him from mauling the persnickety warlock of a wizard. And although Ginny knew his point to be true she was still appalled as he frantically worried about his job while everyone else worried over and gave barely a hope for the safe return of their friends.

All methods of entering Potter Manor were made available to them. The fireplace was opened to any Floo travel, protective charms had been removed, and Sirius had personally lifted the anti-Apparition enchantments that had been recently placed on the grounds. Ginny didn't believe that when Lily and James escaped whatever peril they'd fallen into that they would first Apparate into the living room of Potter Manor, not when there was so much at stake and just in case there were any tagalongs.

Sirius was mad with worry and his brother and Remus remained outside with him to attempt to calm him. But they both, even Remus, had given her demeaning glances back at the Leaky Cauldron when she nodded and suggested they wait it out at Potter Manor. Surprisingly, she wasn't the only one not worried about their return, besides Dearborn.

"They're going to come back. They've got to fight him at least twice more if that's where they are, right Ginny?" Peter asked when they were alone in the kitchen. She felt like Peter was the only one that listened to her.

…_born to those who have thrice defied him…_

Yes, Ginny was sure that they would return, but in what condition, she was unaware. It mattered little, though. They would be well enough to continue fighting on. She was worried more by something else.

While they waited, Alice and Frank arrived. Alice spent a few minutes consoling the inconsolable Awner, who sat in the corner in tears, before she realized there was nothing else to do but stand around silently and wait with everyone else.

Frank, a man of logic, sat at James's desk beside Ginny and his wife sat in Lily's seat. Both turned around and faced Ginny. "You aren't worried about them," Frank said. Ginny glanced over at Peter, who was tactfully pulling Dearborn away and into the kitchen. When he was out of ear shot, she began.

"I'm not. I'm worried that if indeed they are presented before Voldemort," both flinched, "that either James or Lily forgets to use Occlumency and their knowledge of the Horcruxes is intercepted by the Dark Lord."

"Oh. That's right… if that happens…everything changes," Alice said. Solemnly, Ginny nodded. She wondered if any of them were really trained enough in Occlumency and even if they were was it ingrained enough in them that they could use it unconsciously, by surprise, and under pressure. It was of the utmost importance that each of them could. And honestly, Ginny knew that she could not.

She thought of Harry's lessons with Snape and how awful they'd been. She thought of Snape…what would he think of the things she'd said to him? Why hadn't he cursed her the moment he realized she was not Lily?

Peter returned from the kitchen alone. Would Occlumency be enough to keep information out of Voldemort's prying hands?

"You shouldn't worry about Lily. She's so very smart I can't imagine her forgetting anything. James though…he's brilliant under pressure but would he remember right away?" Frank asked.

Peter shook his head. He stood in the aisle leaning on Lily's desk. "His first thought would be to protect Lily."

"Precisely my thoughts," Ginny agreed.

Hours into the evening and still James and Lily were not to be seen. Ginny had cursed Dearborn with hives without him noticing and he brushed it off (rather ridiculously) as a nervous man's physical reaction to the situation. Nonetheless, Dearborn left and the other boys returned. The waiting was agony.

Remus watched Ginny closely all throughout dinner and afterwards. She hadn't eaten anything. She was worried over something else entirely than the rest but he was caught somewhere in the middle. He tried to understand her thoughts, but a part of him could not trust in a prophecy that hadn't yet been made.

She, Regulus, and Peter were by the fire writing out more training plans that implemented use of Occlumency. He stood against the wall of the hallway to the stairs. He liked the way her face took on a special look when she was focused on something. Her usual calm, almost sarcastic demeanor fled and her brows furrowed forward, her bottom lip curled just so slightly under her teeth. While she was trying to get them to close their minds, he merely wanted to read hers. What would he do for just a glimpse of the real her?

A sharp pain shot up from his foot. Sirius had dug his heal, hard, into Remus's right foot.

"You ought to be making that face at Wormtail instead for all the good it'll do you," he said with a tone of warning.

Remus sighed. "Yea, I know. Maybe when things are settled…"

Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe. Who knows? Even when we've got someone from the future calling the shots for us we don't know what'll happen do we? Maybe things've changed."

"I don't think-"

"Lily!" they heard Alice call and Sirius's head turned so fast he thought his neck might snap in half. Everyone rushed in a stampede into the front room, where Lily and James stood, hand in hand. For a few long moments, the group of seven merely stared with relief at the two of them. Remus searched them up and down for signs of injury but found none.

Sirius was first to break from the group and wrap his arms wide around the both of them.

"What's with the Muggle costumes?" Frank asked, next to embrace them.

"Never mind that, where the bloody hell did Travers take you!" Peter exclaimed. Everyone looked at Peter with brows raised. "He took you to You-Know-Who didn't he?"

James nodded. Lily advanced and hugged Alice, then Ginny.

"Occlumency…?" she whispered into Lily's ear. She nodded her head and indicated with her eyes they would converse the topic later.

"We'd best talk about this sitting down, with some tea," she added to Awner, whose eyes lit up with overflowing tears of joy as she rushed into the kitchen to get started.

* * *

The lot spent the evening on the carpet in front of the fire quietly talking and sipping on warm tea. The cubicles and chairs had been moved to be replaced by decorous garnet and gold carpets and plush pillows. While they were retelling the events of their afternoon and evening Lily and James sat side by side with their backs against the sofa, legs crossed with mugs wrapped in their hands. The rest were scattered around them. Sirius lied half upright on his side next to James with Peter on his other side. Alice sat between Frank's legs on the corner of the carpet underneath a golden blanket looking worried. Awner was allowed her place right beside Lily and beside her Regulus sat with Ginny's legs across his lap. Her head was on a pillow in Remus's lap.

By three in the morning their story had been told. All of them had harangued Lily for not giving notice when they'd gone to Lily's parents' house. And she apologized profusely but they were all just glad they escaped unscathed. It was probably unheard of.

"What does he look like?" Peter asked.

"He's pale…almost inhumanly. And he's got long fingers." Lily rubbed her own fingers as if they would suddenly become traitorously long and white.

"You noticed his fingers?" Alice asked.

James nodded. "You don't see much else when you're looking down the wrong end of his wand."

"He was barefoot too," Lily added. "I noticed when I tried to kill the snake. It was so peculiar."

"I don't believe there's a trainer spooky enough to suit his fashion tastes," Sirius said capturing a round of laughs.

It was simple for them to mask their uncertainty and fear by simplifying the conversation. They all pretended what had happened was much lighter than it truly was but for now, that was the only coping mechanism they had. At least James and Lily seemed fine, although their hands remained entwined for the whole of the evening.

"Has he got a nose?" Ginny asked suddenly.

Remus glanced down at her. "Why wouldn't he have a nose?" he asked with an air of amusement.

Ginny shrugged. "He's like a snake himself I suppose. Last I saw him he had two small slits instead. I'm just wondering when it was it went."

"You're not joking?" James asked. She shook her head. "I suppose yes, he had a nose. I've never met anyone whose nose decided to go on holiday."

The conversation crawled on slowly after that as one by one each of them fell asleep. James and Sirius stayed up the latest.

"Why'd you stun him? Snape? Just a different curse and we'd be shot of him."

"Sirius…" James said exhaustedly, warningly.

Sirius sat up straight and looked at his friend intensely. "Really though, we'd have one less Death Eater to deal with."

"Lily and I took down more than one this afternoon. None of us were killed ourselves. I think we can call today a success."

"But it's Snape!"

James sighed and looked down at his fiancé, whose head lay sleeping soundly in his lap. "However much I hate him, if and when Snape dies, it won't be by my wand," he said seriously. He gently stroked a few strands out of Lily's face. She was pristine in her slumber. "I know that even though Lily deplores him plenty there is still a part of her heart that will always contain the greasy git who first introduced her to magic. He was the only one left when we faced Voldemort and I stunned him. Because I couldn't let him hurt her. A scar from Voldemort she can live with, just like Harry. Snape's already hurt her enough."

Sirius nodded. "It's just… well right before you were Apparated away, Ginny was too. By Snape. But she came back, with Snape, without a scratch."

"We can't start mistrusting her. She's been right every time. I trust her. Not just as a girl from the future trying to save us all but as my friend. I don't question her or who she chooses to Apparate away with."

"I'm not questioning _her_. I'm afraid to ask her anything really. Knowing I was in Azkaban for twelve years was knowledge enough. But Snape… you'd think he'd curse her. He's done it previously. But he didn't touch her."

"I dunno Padfoot. We should be grateful anyways."

* * *

Life went on at Potter Manor. They took on a new (though somewhat less ambitious) case the very next Monday morning and Caradoc was euphoric that "the lovesick puppies haven't keeled off." Ginny gave him a good taste of her Bat-Bogey again for saying that.

The shock of what had happened wore off quicker than any of them had envisioned and with a lingering desire to work harder. Ginny adamantly made them practice Occlumency while she listened to the daily news of movement of Voldemort, or his followers just in case. But just like before he was becoming more aloof and quiet, creating a cold sense of terror about wizarding England. It was just like it'd been before. Wizarding families were fleeing the country and those who could not were suspicious of everyone around them.

Of those leaving the country, Alice and Frank left abruptly for their honeymoon, which they had not been on because of the state of things. But they figured it was time and without a wave goodbye they'd Apparated half way across Europe. Ginny was happy for them. They needed to be out of the country for a while. In fact, she was a bit envious.

The first Monday in November, Ginny woke at pre-dawn to an owl pecking at her window. She got up and leant over the bedside table to find a tawny colored owl sitting on the branch of the tree that sat just outside her room. It was drizzling outside and when she let the small owl inside it ruffled its feathers, getting rainwater all over her.

"Good morning to you too," she greeted. She did not recognize the owl but it recognized her - it nipped at her ear appreciatively and then dropped a letter into her lap. Hooting gracefully, it took Saben's place on his perch and began picking up some leftover treats he'd been too lazy to retrieve. She wondered when Saben would return.

The envelope had her name scrawled in slanted handwriting she knew to be Dumbledore's.

Ginny Weasley

Potter Manor

The second bedroom on the left.

She opened it quickly not bothering to savor the envelope. Inside was an invitation to a secret meeting. There was an address and a date and time but there was no signature. Ginny flew to the kitchen, had a hurried breakfast, and sat at her desk to file their last accomplishment. Ginny and Lily had captured a girl about their age who was selling cursed bracelet charms meant to be gifted to Muggles. The sun rose slowly and it wasn't until nine in the morning that James made his way downstairs.

"Morning James," Ginny said, sitting at her desk and moving some papers around, trying to look busy.

"Hey Gin. Did you know they finally caught Wardiggle?" he asked holding up the Prophet. "It's about time isn't it? It's been _ages_ since we read about his escape. We would've done it quicker," he assured her confidently.

Ginny raised her brows. Capturing Death Eaters had become something of a sport for him when they got the cases. Probably a withdrawal from not having played Quidditch in a while. Whoever caught the most would win and to James they were always winning. "Don't be foolish because we're a better team than any of the Aurors at the Ministry."

"Including Alice and Frank?"

"Especially Alice and Frank," she said with a wink. "It doesn't matter. What does is that they've got him."

He paused. "You really think we're the best?" he asked, suddenly unsure.

Ginny stood and looked at him over the cubicle. He looked back at her, genuinely looking for an answer. "Don't you?"

He held up the envelope with his name inscribed in slanted cursive across the center. "Got it in the owl post this morning."

Ginny held up her own identical envelope with her own name. "Me too. Wonder what it's about. Looks like Dumbledore's handwriting."

"Lily got one too."

"So did I," Sirius said, coming round the corner from the fireplace with a pile of papers in his arms and an envelope with his name in the same handwriting on top of it. "It's cryptic. Should we be suspicious?"

"I don't think so," James said. "The writer knows us too well for him to be a Death Eater. Look, 'James Potter, Potter Manor, First bedroom up the stairs.' It's got to be Dumbledore. Do you think he heard about what happened to me and Lily?"

Now Saben came and dropped a note onto Ginny's desk, gaving her a doting peck. Ginny smiled and stroked his head with the back of her finger. "I _know_ he heard about it." She opened the delicate scroll. "Regulus got one too," she said after reading over it.

"It seems we'll be having an office party," Sirius joked.

"You think Peter and Remus got them?" James asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ginny replied. "They should be downstairs soon anyways." The front door opened and all three had their wands out simultaneously. But it was merely Alice and Frank. "Isn't it quite early for you to be back this early from your honeymoon?"

"Was he that bad?" Sirius asked Alice and she blushed.

Ginny flicked her wand again and cleaning supplies zoomed from the supply closet down the hall and began spraying and wiping Sirius' skull clean. "You're dirty mind needs cleaning!" Ginny laughed. They had a good laugh at him as he tried and failed to reach out to his desk and retrieve his wand but Ginny always pushed him away with her own wand.

James, the only one facing the hallway to the front door, flicked his wand at Sirius and the cleaning supplies flew to his desk and remained still. James sat down and began writing as though nothing had happened. The rest followed suit without turning around.

"Good morning, Non-Aurors," Caradoc said and luckily he was looking through some files and didn't notice the foolishness going on moments prior.

"Is that altogether very necessary?" Alice asked. "Do you really call them that?"

Hearing her voice he finally looked up from his papers and stared at her. "Prewett…aren't you supposed to be…gone or someplace…something?" he said with a wave on his hand and looked back down at his papers, putting a pile of them on James' desk and then idling over to Ginny's.

"My honeymoon…yes. And its Longbottom now," she reminded him sternly. "It's been Longbottom for _months_."

"You're spending your honeymoon…" he looked around at the makeshift office in James' front room, "here?"

"Is it not splendid enough for you Dearborn?"

"It's not splendid at all is it Black? And what are you three doing? The new couple and the dog standing around?" Caradoc glanced at James, the apparent epitome of a diligent worker. "You should be acting more like Mr. Potter. There's a reason he's your group leader. And Black…" Caradoc leaned over his cubicle and saw the cleaning supplies. "Spring cleaning…in November?"

Sirius picked up the duster and reached over the divider between his and Frank's cubicles. "Er, yes sir, just cleaning Longbottom's desk since he's been gone. It's gotten a bit dusty."

Caradoc stared peculiarly at him but ultimately nodded. "Yes. How kind of you. Well, back to work now. Criminals don't catch themselves."

"You're absolutely right Dearborn, as you always are," Sirius said thick with sarcasm.

Caradoc's large ego seemed to block it from his ears however because he replied, "For once Black, you're right yourself." He stepped toward Ginny cubicle, turning his back to Sirius and James who both continued to do silent imitations of Caradoc's demeanor. "Morning Ginny," he said what he thought passed as a suave smile, resting his arm on top of the divider of her cubicle. Still standing, Ginny looked him straight in his oblivious eye, trying intensely not to laugh at Sirius and James.

"It's Weasley. We're not quite on a first name basis sir," she told him, struggling to keep her composure as Sirius and James made kissing faces at her. They marched in circles, trying to make themselves look as much like trolls as they could.

"Well," Caradoc said leaning forward suggestively. "I thought you might like to perhaps get to a first name basis. Drinks tonight?" James conjured two wine glasses while Sirius created silent mini-fireworks to rain over their heads as they gave a toast. Ginny brought her hand to her mouth to reinforce her need not to burst into laughter. Somehow, Caradoc misinterpreted this as a blush and he grinned. "Is that a yes?"

Ginny dropped her hand and forced herself to look serious. "I actually have a prior engagement that I cannot break. In fact, I believe I'm set up with prior engagements for the rest of the month. But I believe I've got time to Quill you in sometime in January."

Caradoc smiled, as oblivious as a cow. "I suppose I'll have to make an appointment with you. I'd be proud to have such a well warranted woman on my arm."

Somehow, Ginny couldn't find words to reply to this, unsure whether she should take it as a compliment or charm the feather duster to beat Caradoc over the head. He must be joking. Instead her eyes shot to James who had Sirius linked to his arm and walked around as if showing off a prized pig. Caradoc turned swiftly and James and Sirius stopped to a standstill at the same moment Ginny flicked her wand to extinguish the fireworks.

"What are you doing? Lolly-gagging around the office, how typical. There's a reason you're not Aurors," he said derogatorily.

"There's usually a reason for everything," Sirius muttered.

"Excuse me? You should never mumble in front of your superiors. Repeat yourself," he demanded.

"I was just saying how I was looking forward to my engagement with Ginny this evening," Sirius replied and Ginny laughed out loud. Caradoc snapped back to her.

"You're going out with _him_," Caradoc asked incredulously.

"Well sir, there's _a reason_ I'm not going out with _you_." Caradoc turned on his heel and stalked away. "But don't let my personal feelings get in the way of our relationship!" she called after him and a moment later they heard the front door slam.

Sirius bounded from his desk, across the aisle, and pulled Ginny into his arms, proceeding to waltz her around the open space in the many rows of cubicles. "That was brilliant Ginny! 'Well, sir,'" he mimicked in a terrible impersonation of her voice, "'there's a reason I'm not going out with you.' Exceptional!"

"Well done Ginny. That's the best you've kept yourself composed when you've watched us degrade Dearborn behind his back," James said. "I'm proud of your improvement. I'll be sure to tell Dumbledore tonight."

"So that's what this is all about," Frank said, holding up an envelope much like the ones the rest had received over the divider of his desk.

"You guys got them too?" Ginny asked.

"It's why we've come back on such short notice. We figured it was Dumbledore's handwriting but we weren't sure. So we came here to ask you guys about it. Have you all got them?" Alice asked, pulling her own from her bag and throwing it onto her desk. She flopped into her chair.

"Lily and Regulus got them. I wouldn't doubt Remus and Peter have gotten them too. We've been summoned," James said.

"Do you know what it's about?" Frank asked Ginny. "You're the one from the future after all."

"I really haven't any clue," Ginny admitted. "If it includes me, it's new."

"Where's your lovely wife to be this lovely morning, group leader?" Alice asked. "And since when were there any designated leaders?"

"Lily is already at Hogwarts actually. McGonagall wrote asking for help with something. Luckily she's got a great _leader_ who will let her off on such short notice." James grinned.

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**Again, thanks for reading! Chapter 30 will come sooner than 29 did! Promise!**


	30. All's in Order

**Thanks to: Blue Luver5000, Cole the Demon Hunter, TimeToWriteIsHistory, purple389, Angie Kangaroo, Queen of Night, Beaufale, MaeSilverpaws1, tiger90, BeliveInNargles, ThoseSexyGingerTwins (so true by the way.), JuJuBugxx, carlyb258, and claineallen for reviewing, alerting, or favoriting!**

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Chapter 30: All's in Order

Remus and Peter too had woken up to faint knocks on their windows with handwritten letters inviting them to a secret meeting and that night they Apparated to a small street in Falmouth. The cottage was not difficult to find. Small and unobtrusive, it stood in a corner tightly between two much larger and much more obtrusive houses. And if it weren't obvious enough that magic was used to make it fit comfortably in that tiny slab of grass, they recognized a gray tabby cat with spectacle-like markings around it eyes staring at them.

"Woof woof! Woof! Woof woof!"

The tabby cat jumped, startled, but did not flee. It found the source of the barking and looked down its nose at a black dog as if she wanted to put it in detention for a month. Padfoot stared back with a goofy grin across his face. Sirius transformed back into his human form and knelt in front of the feline Professor McGonagall. It was the first time Ginny had ever seen a cat look reproachful.

"You're no fun Professor. The Muggles won't believe a cat wouldn't run away from a dog."

"They also won't believe a dog's transformed into a human that believes a cat can understand precisely what it's saying," Lily said. "Could you have been any louder? We're attempting to be discreet."

James shook his head, hiding a smile, but Peter and Regulus laughed. Professor McGonagall hissed at Sirius's heels and he made kissy sounds at her as they followed Lily inside.

Past a small foyer they entered a living room much larger than the house seemed to fit from the outside. Chairs and sofas lined the room almost like a theatre.

"Evening Dumbledore."

"Evening Ginny. I suppose you already know what's going on tonight?" he asked.

"In fact, I haven't any idea but I'm eager to find out."

Dumbledore nodded happily at Ginny.

"Ow!" Sirius called rubbing the back of his head where Professor McGonagall rapped her wand. "You can't do that Professor!"

"We're not at school anymore Sirius," said McGonagall, disguising a smile. "If you don't call on me for assault, I won't tell anyone you're an illegal Animagus."

"Come on, Professor, you wouldn't do that. Don't you think you've put me in detention enough times?" McGonagall made no reply, simply walking away. Sirius followed after her. "Right Professor? You wouldn't…McGonagall…" James, Remus, and Peter followed, laughing.

Ginny found a seat on a small sofa beside Regulus and waited for the group of people summoned to the meeting. There were many people she recognized including Hagrid, Elphias Doge, who was at Bill and Fleur's wedding, and she recognized who could be no one but Dumbledore's brother, whose name she recalled was Aberforth. But there were others she did not recognize as well. A short bloke standing between two women, one shockingly blonde and the other bright faced with dark nail polish. Slowly, a few more people staggered into the living room.

Dumbledore stood chatting softly with Minerva and behind them Lily sat silently. Of course, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter found seats conjoined together in a corner, whispering speculation about whatever the meeting was to be about. There were a few women she did not know as well as a few men but she instantly recognized Hagrid, Alastor Moody, Alice and Frank, and most shocking of all Caradoc Dearborn, who'd somehow found himself an invitation.

"What are you lot doing here?" he asked her, rather pompously.

Regulus grunted. "Back off Dearborn, we're equals here."

"I could ask you the same question," Ginny said, pushing Regulus aside.

He crossed his arms. "Simply put, I am exceptional."

"Hardly, Caradoc, nobody cares that someone's taught a troll like you to do wizard tricks. It doesn't mean you're any better than anyone else," said a redheaded man who slapped Dearborn on the back and made him lurch. An identical man came about his other side and Dearborn looked very insignificant sandwiched between Fabian and Gideon Prewett.

"Precisely. You shouldn't put your ego in the way of such a graceful young lady and yourself," said the other.

"He already has," Ginny said jumping up and gleaming. She'd only ever seen her uncles in pictures. They were alive when she was born but died merely weeks afterwards. "I'm Ginevra," she introduced herself formally. "It's wonderful to meet you."

Regulus stood too, shaking their hands and introducing himself.

"You have got the most outrageous brown eyes," Fabian said to her leaning down to take a closer look. "They remind me of someone…Gideon who-?"

"Molly. They remind you of Molly's eyes," he answered his brother.

"Thank you," Ginny beamed. Her uncles looked like a grown pair of Fred and George. And they were just as delightful as her brothers had been.

"She hasn't really got brown eyes," Regulus said nervously. "They're more like a dark muddy hazel if you ask me."

"I've definitely got brown eyes," she said, still keeping those eyes locked on her uncles. Regulus nodded at Lily for help and she came right over.

"She wanted to come, Molly, but she and her husband've already got kids running round," Gideon told Ginny.

"Twins it was, this time around. There's how many now? I can't keep track of all those boys," Fabian admitted.

"Five," Ginny answered, unable to help herself, and Lily and Regulus shot warning glances at her. She shrugged. "There're five of them. Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the twins. Next is Ron, then me."

Gideon and Fabian stared at her for a long drawn out moment, trying to figure her out. Finally, Fabian chuckled. "Molly does have a girl. Ginevra, eh?"

"We'll be sure to tell her what a nice name we think it is."

"I appreciate that."

"Makes us your uncles then doesn't it?" Lily and Regulus glanced at her with worrying eyes.

Ginny positively glowed. "I suppose, yes."

Silence. "Wicked."

"It was a wonder they didn't ask you why you were here and not…not born yet," Lily said exasperatingly after they'd gone to sit down.

"What difference does it make? I never really get to meet them," she replied somberly.

With the meeting about to start everyone sat and conversation died down. Eyes turned expectantly towards Dumbledore and looking around Ginny couldn't be more hopeful. Those sitting around her were probably the best people she'd ever met.

And then realization crashed over Ginny. She smacked Regulus' leg a few times in excitement. "This is the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix!"

"Good evening and welcome," Dumbledore began and everyone's conversation silenced at once. "The time has come. I've gathered you all to create a force greater than the Ministry in this unfortunate time of plunder and darkness. As the Dark Lord grows ever stronger, the Ministry is dormant in it's growth. As a group, we will act together. As some of you are aware, we are gathered here to convene what we will call the Order of the Phoenix." Ginny wanted madly to jump into the air for joy but she contained herself as Dumbledore went on. "I believe together we are the best and most knowledgeable and most capable of accomplishing our goal: crushing the Dark Rebellion and Lord Voldemort." Ginny expected the group to flinch at the name but to her surprise, not one person did. "The Ministry is doing its best to combat the rise of Muggle and Muggle-born attacks. But we have reason to believe they will continue to grow; the might of the Ministry will not be able to handle it alone."

"Too many bloody rules!" Gideon called.

"Precisely. The Order will have more forceful and secretive assaults that are not restricted to the rules garnered by the law. Our enemies do not follow it and so it is imperative we treat them as kindly as they treat us," he said with a twinkle in his eye, however seriously he was speaking. "We will work in small groups. We can work with the Ministry but our aim is to be undetectable and we won't do so often. We will have a headquarters where we can meet in passing. Those in this room and the Minister of Magic are the only ones who will be aware of our movements. Discretion is of the utmost importance. We do not want to be targeted as a group separate from the Ministry for as long as possible."

"Who will decide the groups we work with?" Sirius asked, eyeing Dearborn.

"I believe you sincerely know who you work best with. But most importantly we must all understand that though we work in pieces we are still a united front."

"Have we got a Headquarters where we can come and go? Surely the McKinnon household isn't large enough and we don't want to be intruding at any hour of the day," the blonde woman asked.

"A few locations have been conjectured to be suited for the job but it has not been decided yet."

"How about Potter Manor?" James suggested. "There are no children there to be interrupted. Everyone who lives there are here, a part of the Order. There's plenty of room and desks and work spaces already. It's secluded enough too."

Dumbledore nodded his assent to the idea. McGonagall smiled. "Perfect. Before we deem it official the place must be properly attended to and protected.

"How often will we meet like this? It's a bit conspicuous," Alastor Moody asked sternly.

"Not _vigilant_ enough?" Ginny said, mostly to herself and Regulus but most of the room heard her. Moody's magical eye spun in her direction as did everyone else. Those that knew Moody smiled, some laughing openly. Even Moody himself nodded and smiled. Lily gave her a warning glance. She wasn't supposed to know Moody's habitual saying.

"In fact," continued Dumbledore diverting the group's attention, "we won't meet in such a large group again. I've actually come up with quite a delightful bit of magic to remedy this difficulty. I have developed a mode of communication that is incapable of being intercepted and tonight's goal is to inform each of you how to perform it yourselves and to become familiar with one another's Patronuses. Expecto Patronum."

Ginny had never seen anything so glorious as the phoenix that flew from the great wizards wand tip. She was not alone in her admiration. Nearly everyone in the room looked fascinated by the creature flying a perfect circle above their heads and perching finally on the chandelier in the center of the ceiling. All eyes but Ginny's turned back to Dumbledore.

"Wonderful kind of communication is it not?" the phoenix said. Ginny grinned.

"That's bloody brilliant Albus. We've just got to keep our Patronuses more or less private."

"Precisely," Dumbledore said again.

They spent the next hour and a half in turn introducing themselves by their Patronuses. For most, it took at least two tries to have their Patronus relay their name. Ginny knew she'd have to pretend to try multiple times. Her father had taught her how in the final months of his life while they stayed at her Auntie Muriel's.

Minerva went first. Her light-footed tabby pranced around their toes. A lady with long dark hair had her leopard Patronus say, "Hello, I'm Emmeline Vance." Doge's patronus, a goose, bowed low as it told his name. Moody went, then pat Hagrid's leg consolingly when he lamely lifted the pink umbrella. The blonde woman was called Dorcas Meadows and the dark woman beside her was Marlene McKinnon.

"Dorcas was a seventh year when I was a first," Regulus whispered. "Ravenclaw. Straight O's on her NEWTS I heard. Brilliant. And that's Benjy Fenwick," he said when the short man stood and allowed Dumbledore to instruct him. "He must've graduated from Hogwarts years ago but he's got a trophy for Quidditch in the Trophy room there. Gryffindor I'm sure."

"How do you know all of them?"

"People my parents heartily dislike," he said with a shrug.

When finally it was the Marauders's turn Ginny was proud to see that none of her friends had any trouble producing their patronus and Regulus nudged her. "Well done. That's all you."

She took a breath when Remus's werewolf Patronus snarled the first time. But no one seemed unperturbed by the image, especially not the Marauders. She wondered whether Dumbledore had warned them or if they simply were not prejudiced.

Regulus went and she was thrilled to see the lion burst from his wand tip and pace the room menacingly before uttering his name. He attempted a few times more and was able to have it repeat a sentence full. He'd done even better than his brother. Ginny glanced at Sirius who nodded toward her with a smile.

When finally it was her turn she approached Dumbledore as happy as could be.

"The trick my dear," he began quietly, just as her father had told her, "is to switch your wand in the opposite manner while performing the Charm. But you must completely separate your thoughts of happiness to produce the Patronus and the words you wish it to speak."

"I promise not to show off," she whispered.

She allowed herself to spend a few attempts on her Patronus and then an extra attempt on the message. At last, her mare declared, "My name is Ginny Weasley. It's wonderful to meet you all."

Again, no one seemed unawares as to her last name. Perhaps they assumed she was a distant relative of sorts. Whatever the case, they welcomed her, Fabian and Gideon more enthusiastically.

"Now that we are acquainted, we may disperse. Discussion of Dark movements will come your way in time. Before we fly off however, I'd like to acknowledge the danger we will each be stepping into and a perfect example is the brave plight our young friends James and Lily were a part of, as I'm sure you've all learned. You may face Voldemort himself. Remain steadfastly brave."

A small round of applause was given before the room began to empty. Many clasped hands with James and Lily and they were held back in conversation.

Dumbledore pulled Ginny aside and whispered, "Has anything peculiar happened? With your ring?"

Ginny hadn't really spent much time thinking about the ring during the whole summer but there it lay, right on her wedding finger, a little loose but holding on as if fastened to her finger. Fleetingly she wondered how Remus felt about its placement.

"No. It is simply a ring. However, its present version," she said in a softer voice, "needs to be found and struck with a basilisk fang." Dumbledore became pale but nodded nonetheless.

"Do his memories give me a clue as to where it is?" he asked more eagerly than she would've liked. But she remembered the uncomfortable situation it was when Dumbledore kept a close interest in her ring, and both hers and James's Cloaks.

"Sir, with all doo respect, I haven't any clue why you've got such an interest in the ring. It does something great, I'm sure, but it's got nothing to do with Voldemort or our attempt to defeat him. When all this is through, you can study it all you wish. I'll even give it you."

"No…" His eyes lit with a brightness she'd not seen in many months. "I have you to thank for humbling me. I want you to keep it always, do you understand me?"

Ginny nodded, for once glad she was unaware of what to do.

* * *

Ginny sat with Remus and Peter in front of the fire when Lily and James finally arrived home.

"James, why did you suggest Potter Manor for the Order's Headquarters? We'll have no privacy at all. They'll all be coming and going and we're supposed to be living here. We're to be married and we've already more than a full house."

"Lily sweetheart, that's precisely why." He held her hands. "I don't want to live here anymore. I grew up here, and it was happy but I want to make life with you on new ground. I want to buy a new house, just for you and I when we get married."

Lily's eyes brimmed with tears. "This is really happening all of it."

"I'm really happy for you Lily," Ginny said as the green-eyed witch wrapped her arms around her.

Lily and James were to be married in weeks. The Order of the Phoenix was just formed and preparing to defeat Death Eaters as often as they came. And soon, Harry would be born. But talking about the ring with Dumbledore brought Ginny to a very dark place. Very easily did she recall that the ring had been a Horcrux before it had come by Harry and herself. She'd forgotten. In all the rush of her new life, she was preparing for it to fail regardless. She'd wasted more than a summer's worth of time.

This was the moment Ginny realized she had to leave.

* * *

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	31. December 15, 1978

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* * *

Chapter 31: December 15th, 1978

Lily took a very deep breath. She wasn't nervous at all. She was ecstatic. More than excited, more than merely happy. Though there were things she wished would be different she would not spend another moment complaining. No, her sister had elected not to attend and no, James's parents weren't there either. But she refused to allow those things to ruin her special day. If anything, she imagined, however much it pained her, that Petunia and her husband would be dreary and ungrateful guests and that James's parents would be guests from above.

In the room she and Ginny had once shared, she stood in front of a full length mirror adorned with white lilies. Beside her was her mother and Ginny each primping her veil or straightening her dress. She was in a white gown, simple, without ornate decoration. The thin chiffon cascaded to the floor in long layers. She turned and it swayed. The bodice continued in the same material into a sweetheart neckline. The gown was long sleeved because she'd insisted on being married outdoors, even if it was December. The grass was still green enough and though the flowers from the trees had fallen their color still graced the ground with such a beauty that she could imagine them sprout instantly into new trees. Ginny was pretty in a shimmery auburn dress that brought out the best in her golden-flecked eyes. And on the other side of the wall, the man she fully intended on spending the rest of her life with was waiting for her with open arms. Everything was perfect.

It was a small event. Her father was there to walk her down the aisle. Sirius was James's best man. Remus, Peter, and Regulus had front seats as well. Alice and Frank, Dumbledore, and a few Order Members they'd become particularly close to over the last month, like the McKinnons, and yes, even Dearborn, were outside in the garden.

She was positively radiant.

Regulus poked his head through the door.

"Lily, are you about -ow!" Daisy jumped, startled.

With her wand, Ginny had slapped a blindfold rather tightly over his eyes. "You can't see her! Are you mad?"

"I thought it was only James who couldn't. Who, by the way, wants to get things going. He said, 'I just want to be married to her already!' about five times and was jumping all around the place. I swear the tails of his dress robes are about to catch fire he's so excited."

A little thrill of excitement surged through Lily. "We're almost done, I promise."

"All right. Would you take this thing off of me Gin. It's bloody tight," Regulus said, clawing at his face.

Ginny pushed him out of the bedroom and followed him outside, closing the door behind him. His eyes peeled when she removed the blindfold. He pushed and turned her so that she was facing away from him.

"Hell, Gin, you don't think that dress reveals enough of your back? It's practically a skirt. And you'll be freezing. It's nearly snowing outside."

"Lily is the one who chose it and she's designed quite a nice little charm to keep me warm. Besides, Lily looks incredible. No one will be looking at my bare back."

"I'm looking at it and I'm dumbfounded. I don't even like you."

Ginny turned and glared playfully. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means Ginny darling, that though I love you without fail, the sexy skin of your tailbone doesn't make me fall over like it will others."

"Dearborn hardly counts, he'll fall over for a show of ankle."

"I wasn't talking about Dearborn," he said pointedly.

Ginny brushed this off however anxious the thought of Remus made her.

Regulus kissed her forehead. "I'll let James know we're about ready to start. You keep warm and hurry Lily up. We're all starving and Awner's got the kitchen locked up."

"Stop complaining like you aren't in a fabulous mood yourself," Ginny teased, going back into the bedroom.

Daisy looked at her daughter tearfully. They embraced and shared a few words before her mother gave her a kiss and went to sit down.

"You ready?"

"More than," Lily answered easily.

Ginny finished the last buttons on Lily's dress that travelled from the small of her back to the nape of her neck.

"Don't you think that'll make it a bit difficult for your soon-to-be-husband tonight Lily?" her father, (who had poked his head in), of all people, asked. Lily blushed furiously and yelled, "Dad!"

Ginny grinned. "Personally, Mr. Evans, I would like to remind you that James is a wizard. Removing these buttons will be much smaller of a task than you think," she told her best friend's father with a wink. She and John got along quite well. "Anyways, I'm going to go gather Sirius since you insist we walk together, although I don't see why we can't just stand with James in the first place, but if we must." She gave Lily her bouquet and gave her a final hug before leaving.

John gathered his daughter in his arms. "Oh darling, my littlest girl is finally getting married. And my you've chosen perfectly. I'm so, so wonderfully happy for you. James is brilliant and I know he'll take care of you."

"Thanks dad. You don't know what it means to me that you approve and like him."

"As long as you're happy, I cannot complain. But there is one thing I'd like to address. This is your world, not mine but I do know there are dark things happening. And I know you're involved. Just stay safe. Your mother and I love you so much."

"Don't make me cry yet, please." Lily smiled. "I love you both too. And…we will be safe. We've got the best hope. Ginny, she…" Lily was unable to continue.

"She is something special," her father acknowledged with a smile. "Ready?"

The dulcet sound of violins and harps began and John lifted his daughter's arm over his.

They left the bedroom and entered the living room. The back door would be the beginning of her trek down the aisle. Only Ginny and Sirius were there.

"Lily-flower, he's going to pass out before you even reach the altar," Sirius said dotingly. "But he'll be thrilled when he wakes up. Promise."

Arm in arm, Sirius and Ginny opened the door to the garden and made their way down the aisle. She was toasty warm but it was clear how cold it was. The few onlookers there gaped at her. Remus didn't even meet her eyes. He scanned her body up and down and she became a little insecure under his gaze. James, standing stick straight at the end of the aisle, nodded to each of them in turn briefly before his eyes stared again at the wooden door, waiting anxiously for Lily. And though Ginny had not turned she knew precisely when Lily emerged. Gasps all around sounded and James stepped forward, nearly toppling over.

"Mate, she'll be here in second," Sirius teased in a whisper when he finally stood beside James. "Besides, you have all night with her." Ginny was glad John was at least an earshot away.

John took his time leading Lily down the aisle and James had an overwhelming urge to meet her half way and kiss her right there. He lifted the thin veil and kissed Lily on each cheek. He reached out for James's hand, shook it, and placed it in Lily's grasp.

The ministering wizard who stood before them began. "In dark times it is moments such as this that bring hope and light to our days. Love and family and friendship bind us all in a circle that remains unbroken, unbroken even by death. Matrimony only makes this circle stronger and on an occasion such as this, where two young people are in love, surrounded by their friends and family, and aspiring to have a family of their own, we shall bless the union of a wonderful witch and an outstanding wizard. Without the shade of darkness we can have hope for the future of this couple. Our bride and groom have prepared personal vows to one another. Which would like to go first?"

James blushed. "Er, ladies first," he said.

Lily grinned. "James. You were the most foolhardy boy I'd ever met, besides your best mate. But you've so grown into the trustworthy and honest man that I love so dearly today. You've a heart of gold and a heart of courage. With my life and so much more, I trust you. I will be with you for every step we take, every chance we are given, and every battle we fight. I promise to walk together, decided together, and fight together, always on the same side. You are my true love, and I cannot imagine living another moment without you. You have my heart, my soul, and my love, forever."

James exhaled, showing everyone that he'd been holding his breath. For a few long moments, he was silent, garnering expectant glances from both Lily and Ginny. "You bloody memorized all that?" he blurted finally to a round of laughter. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small roll of parchment. "Darling I am not nearly as eloquent as you are. But I do know that I love you more than anything in the world, even when you wanted nothing but to be rid of me for all those years at school. All that you are makes me a better man and I will spend the rest of our lives proving to you over and over again how much I love you. I will protect you, support you, and care for you. You are the light of my life and I vow to be with you always, no matter what."

Tears escaped Lily's eyes finally and she giggled through them. "You memorized all that?" she asked, looking down at his hands which still held the rolled up parchment. James looked down at his own hands, seemingly surprised himself that he had not read from the roll.

He shrugged. "I guess I did."

Laughter was heard again.

Ginny looked down at Remus, who was looking right up at her and she felt a tingle in her spine. She smiled and was smothered by a severe déjà vu. Bill's wedding, winking at Harry. But it did not make her anxious like the idea of Alice's wedding had during the summer. Remus looked excellent in his dress robes. They were somewhat old-fashioned as they belonged to James's father but he looked absolutely stately. Even so young, he reminded her of the wise man she'd known as a child. The tie he wore was too tight and she felt like reaching out to loosen him up but she restrained herself. He noticed her attention joyfully and nodded back to the ceremony.

"If you would lift your clasped hands," the wizard instructed. He lifted his wand and circled it around their hands.

"Do you, Lily Evans take James Potter to be your magically bounded husband, for life, and for eternity?"

"I do."

"And James Potter, do you take Lily Evans to be your magically bounded wife, for life, and for eternity?"

"I do."

Their wedding bands slowly and magically appeared on their respective wedding fingers. "These rings symbolize the vows you have declared, and the infinite love you share. Let them be a reminder of the values you base your lives on when times become tough. You may now kiss your bride."

With both arms James pulled Lily into him, pressing his lips to her and lifting her a few inches off the ground. Everyone clapped; Hagrid wiped away a tear, Sirius wolf-whistled.

"May you all rise? For the first time, may I present to you all: Mr. and Mrs. James Potter."

The guests applauded. Sirius engulfed the both of them in an embrace. Ginny handed her bouquet back and they headed back up the aisle once more. The guests showered them with golden flowers shot from their wands. John and Daisy Evans threw rice, at which the magical guests sniggered at.

Ginny was one of the first to sit at the ten person long dinner table. It was clear to Remus her mind was clouded with thought once again.

"Ginny...Ginny..." She did not look up and he smiled. Her concentration was so complete that she couldn't even hear him. He wished he could read her mind. What could she be thinking about that made her so intriguing to watch? Reaching a hand over and laying it on her shoulder she jumped, startled. Seeing him she colored bright red.

"You look beautiful," Remus whispered, somewhat shyly.

"You aren't so bad yourself, Remus."

He sat beside her. "Everything alright? Weddings are somewhat hard for you…"

"I'm wonderful. I couldn't be happier for them and to be here for them too," she told him immediately.

"I'm glad."

The reception was short and sweet. The group had an enormous feast made by Awner alone in a magically enlarged kitchen that was decorated with olive and gold garlands and fabrics. There was little conversation of the Order or of the War except that Dumbledore reminded Lily that Professor McGonagall was unable to attend as she was on watch over the Minister of Magic.

Instead, everyone else had a wonderful time explaining and telling things to Lily's parents throughout dinner.

"So electricity doesn't work near magic?" John asked, and Lily shook her head no.

"When you've got magic, it really doesn't matter anyways," Ginny said.

"What's…electricity?" Regulus asked and many others asked the same.

As John and Daisy attempted to explain to wizards what a light bulb was Ginny allowed her hands to find its way onto Remus's knee. He smiled and Sirius, who sat across from him, raised his eye brows at her.

She shrugged. What the hell? She figured if what Regulus had said about Harry months ago was true then it also applied to Nymphadora Tonks. Remus had not met Tonks yet and while Ginny's mind from the past could not imagine the adult Remus Lupin with anyone but the Metamorphmagi, her mind now could not imagine the young Lupin with anyone but herself.

* * *

After dinner, when Awner brought in dessert, Sirius stood. "James has been my best mate since that fateful day when we were eleven and we boarded that wonderful scarlet train. I had a few hours of bliss. Only a few hours of James all to myself. Before the Sorting, when Lily Evans was seated next to us as a brand new Gryffindor. From then on I only received half of my dear mate's affections. I confess myself encouraging of his mischievous ways. I admit I merely wanted him to myself for a while longer. But truly I knew it was inevitable. James and Lily were meant to be together, and here they are, bound in marriage. I couldn't be happier for my best friends. To the bride and groom." He lifted his glass and in unison the guests joined him.

"Ginny, aren't you going to say something? You are the maid of honor…" Regulus reminded her.

"Oh. I suppose, yes." She stood, removing her hand from Remus's knee. "Er, well I'm no good at speech making. And I've had some wine, so bear with me. Lily she…she gave me my first trunk full of new clothes almost a year ago and James gave me Sabin, my owl. What I mean to say is, after I thought I'd lost everything they showed me hope. They're both warm hearted and caring and I hope for you. To James and Lily, then."

"James and Lily!"

The sky still bright, the group advanced back outside, where Awner had produced a dance floor.

Around nine o'clock the guests slowly began to trickle away. The McKinnons left early to put their young ones to bed and Dumbledore bid the newlyweds a goodnight to relieve McGonagall. Lily's parents were one of the last to go but went with lingering blessings. When finally the manor was near empty James and Lily levitated their bags downstairs.

"Ready Lily?"

"For?"

"For our new home."

James held their luggage in one hand and hers in the other and with a quick goodbye to Ginny and Regulus, they Apparated.

The cottage living room was tidy and quaint. That was all she noticed or cared to notice before she turned to her husband and kissed him. James pulled her towards him so that every inch of their bodies was pressed together. They moved simultaneously towards the stairs and when they reached the foot he carried her and they vanished into the bedroom.

The buttons of her gown were removed in an instant.

The buttons of his dress shirt vanished just as swiftly.

She fell on her back when they reached the bed. He kept kissing up and down her neck as she unbuttoned his pants. He worked slowly on sifting her dress away from her chest, past her waist, over her hips and finally being shoved off the bed to the floor by his foot.

* * *

The Manor was empty for the first time in months. Though Lily and James had now officially moved out, Order members had no reason to be present at the headquarters that evening.

"Some night huh?"

"Yea. Lily and James are really happy. And I'm really happy for them. They spent the night practically tripping over one another."

Regulus and Ginny sat together beneath the altar which was still lit golden. It was late into the night and they sat together with glasses of wine, sipping deeply, still in dress robes, with a jar of fire in between them.

"You and Remus weren't much different. Danced with me maybe once before he pulled you away for the rest of the night. I imagine if he had his way you'd still be dancing now. He didn't let go of you until sundown and that was only because he was forced to."

Both of them looked up at the perfectly round yellow moon that hung low in the sky and as if he knew they were talking about him they heard a long sallow howl of a wolf that pierced the night air like a dagger. Ginny turned to stare out into the direction he'd run away towards once the sun was low enough to curl his nerves. Somewhere out there he was sitting in a fetal position with a rat and dog for company. Sirius and Peter had left the reception with him just before sundown.

"He sounds upset," Ginny worried out loud.

"I would be too if I were dragged away from the girl of my dreams just because the sun was going down," Regulus admitted. "It's difficult not to pity him."

Ginny nodded. "I guess when you grow up seeing him protected and watched you don't really think about it. Honestly, I never remember he's a werewolf until he leaves for two days."

"The scratches on his face don't remind you?"

She shrugged. "They've been much worse."

Both looked down at the bottle of wine in between them, found it empty for the third time and in a moment Regulus had it refill itself. Ginny laughed. "Trying to get me drunk?"

"Yes. You've got a secret and I want to know," he told her quite seriously. Taken aback, Ginny put her glass down and studied Regulus, who gazed back at her very seriously. "It's not like you'll just tell me what's bothering you. Sometimes it has to do with things I'm not supposed to know about. But it could be as simple has being anxious about the wedding or nervous about Remus or the Order, I don't know."

"So you're going to force whatever it is out of me, even if it isn't for you to know? You could've just asked," she said defensively. She stood and headed toward the house.

Regulus downed the rest of his glass and followed. "But look, you always pull away after I ask you what you're thinking about."

Once the thought of leaving on her own to search for Horcruxes had entered her mind it hadn't left and it festered like an open wound in her brain. Clearly, Regulus had noticed a change in her demeanor and she wondered if anyone else recognized it. She knew it was only a matter of time before she left. She must, now that she remembered. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had left for the same reason, even if they were forced to at the time. But there was no way she could find all the Horcruxes and fight this war at the same time. Harry could not and nor could she.

"I'm pulling away indefinitely now."

"Ginny-"

"It's got nothing to do with you trying to drink me into a stupor, although I find it fascinating that you could possibly believe that you can out-drink me. I have to leave to find horcruxes. That's what's been on my mind."

Regulus stuttered. "W- When?"

"Soon. I've wasted too much time. There's only a year or so left to find the horcruxes and sitting around Potter Manor won't do anything."

"Your projected time is October of 1981. We've got nearly three years to search for them."

"We've got to find them before the Prophecy is told. I've got to kill him before he begins to target Lily and James directly. Otherwise he'll try to kill them regardless. Harry is one by October 1981. He was born July of 1980 and the Prophecy is told while Lily is pregnant. We've for sure got until August of next year. After that, I'm unsure. But I can't stay here."

Regulus levitated a bottle with something much stronger from the house and he took a long swig of it. "Obviously you expect to go by yourself."

"Well, yes."

"Did Harry expect to go by himself?"

Ginny thought for a moment. Harry probably would've wanted to do it alone. "Most likely."

"_Did_ he go alone?"

She thought of her worries over her brother and her best friend as well as Harry. "No."

"And neither will you."

Sitting on the stairs Ginny frowned. "Regulus, Sirius isn't going to let you come with me. He didn't even want to let you go to Diagon Alley."

"I'm of age," he protested. "He can't tell me what to do. I want to help."

"You are helping," she assured him.

"Yea, I know." To her surprise, Regulus did not press the matter further. He sat beside her on the steps now and she let her head rest on his shoulder.

But he was right. Harry did not go alone and it dawned on her how unwise it would be to do so herself. She knew though, exactly who it was she wanted to accompany her. And she would ask him at the first chance.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! I know it's a bunch of fluff, for the most part, but it must be done. :)**


	32. Mistake or Misconception?

**Thanks to Ginevra-Edana, Marie1124, StarofCalamity, Jessica682, AngieKangaroo, onfire99, Aeliid, Blue Luver5000, zroid79, MuggleCreator, jmw222, Queen of Night, onebigscribble, Beaufale, Miscellaneous101, colucss, Silent-Musician12, aroshomie, and the anonymous reviewers, one of which goes by "Ginny" for favoriting, alerting, and reviewing.**

Chapter 32 - Mistake or Misconception?

That first chance did not readily present itself right away as Ginny would've liked. In fact, it didn't really present itself at all. Since the wedding every moment Remus and Ginny could've potentially been alone was interrupted somehow. This month's full moon had done more damage than usual to Remus's health and he was bedridden for a few days. Similarly, with Lily and James allowed a few days off from Order duties, Dumbledore had Ginny fill in their place. She was often away from the Manor, tailing a woman Ginny recognized as being related to the formidable Carrows. By the time Ginny was back, Remus was well and was with Peter on their own tail. If by happenstance they were ever in the Manor at the same time, every other Order member was present as well, destroying every opportune moment she could have alone with him.

There was always someone asking Ginny a question, or wondering if Remus could fill in for their watch over a targeted Muggle family. Always something getting in the way. He noticed it too.

"I'll see you in few days then Gin," he'd joked to her in passing in the kitchen on New Year's Day as McGonagall dragged him away.

As anxious as she was to speak with him, Ginny felt her feelings for Remus grow even away from him. The less she got to see of him, the more she wanted to be with him. Of the few times they were both present at dinner he would sit next to her but she wanted him always to sit just another inch closer. The hair on the back of her neck would stand if ever his hand brushed over hers reaching for the butter.

Ginny had already decided not to tell the rest of her friends until she'd informed Remus. Lily and James would be unable to join her in the same way Alice and Frank would be: Alice and Lily both would be pregnant in the upcoming year and their husbands would remain with them. Sirius was much too valuable a fighter for the Order to be searching around the country for horcruxes and while Ginny would feel more comfortable with an eye kept on Peter she didn't exactly jump at the idea of the two of them traveling alone together. Asking Remus and confirming it would be just the two of them before informing the rest would keep them from wanting to join or begging her to stay.

One morning a week after New Years, Ginny found Remus sitting alone at his desk. He noticed her and beckoned her forward. She began walking toward him but by fate of nature she was intercepted, this time by Alice and Frank.

"Ginny could we have a word with you in private?" she heard and she turned to see the couple, both with peculiar expressions. She looked between them and Remus, who gave her a shrug as if to say, "Of course we're interrupted again."

"Er sure," she told them. She turned back to Remus and mouthed, _Sorry, just a minute._ He smiled and nodded for her to go.

Alice and Frank led a path upstairs and Ginny followed curiously. They brought her to the last room at the end of the hallway, farthest away from the Order Members downstairs and Frank cast _Muffliato _on the door.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, folding her arms. They gave each other nervous glances before looking back at her.

"We've been doing a lot of thinking."

"So I gathered…," she said slowly.

"We know you're going to leave soon, Ginny, and this is probably the worst moment to bring this up," Frank began with sympathetic eyes. He leaned his back against the door then, feeling nervous, stood straight again.

Ginny's arms dropped. "Who told you?"

"Regulus of course," Alice said, "but don't worry, he didn't tell anyone else. Lily'd probably start a lynch mob to stop you. But we know why you're going."

Ginny sighed. "I suppose I'll have to hex Reg on my own time. Anyways, so what've you been thinking so hard about?"

"Well, first things first, I've been given a raise at the Ministry, and we're sure Frank's is not far behind."

Ginny beamed. "Congratulations!" Alice paused and looked down at her toes, not as thrilled.

"We're excited for the challenges ahead," Frank calmly continued for his wife, "especially being a part of the Order. We couldn't be more grateful to fight with you all." His solemn tone frightened Ginny. She warily approached Alice with a comforting arm and saw that a few tears had escaped her eyes. "But all of this means we'll be around highly advanced and practiced Death Eaters. And if the prophecy of your past still rings true, we'll be in front of You-Know-Who three times in the next two years."

"So we want our memory altered," Alice said shortly, regaining her composure in an instant.

Ginny's stomach dropped. The shock of this revelation made her freeze. She stuttered over fruitless words that never left her lips before finally managing to whisper, "You what?" with eyes wide.

"Everything about the Horcruxes we want removed." Alice looked pleadingly into Ginny's eyes. "We don't want you to be angry with us, we just want to help. We're a liability. We don't want to hinder your search for them and it's better off like this."

"We appreciate that you've included us. That you've trusted us enough to tell us the biggest secret you have," Frank said sincerely, reaching out to her.

"It was all to protect us, and Lily and James, and the rest. We know that," Alice explained further. "But we're so scared we'll forget to use Occlumency or they'll force information out of us." Ginny remembered seeing the sick Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom locked up in St. Mungo's, tortured into insanity. Tortured to get information on the Order. "Just a bit of Veritaserum and everything we know will come pouring out. We don't want that to happen."

Ginny nodded, numb to the idea. "How… how long have you been considering this?"

"Since James and Lily encountered him," Frank replied.

For months then, Ginny thought. She wondered how long everyone else knew how they felt while she was being kept in the dark. Again, she was reminded of how Harry must've felt. Things happening without his knowledge until the very last moment. He used to complain about Dumbledore treating him like a little boy. She felt like her bones had just liquidized and she was now a small, helpless child.

Of course, it was logical. In fact, it was probably very smart. They were right, the more people who knew about the horcruxes the easier it would be to break the secret. It would be detrimental if Voldemort found out…no doubt he would move everything and it would be impossible to know where he'd hidden them. Ginny knew she'd been wrong to include so many with the information.

In another manner, however, she was merely losing two very good and very loyal friends.

"We'll have to find someone capable of it. I can't do it," Ginny said.

"Dumbledore," Alice said simply.

"When?"

"Now," Frank answered.

Ginny looked up at him, bewildered. "Don't you want to tell Lily and James? If they don't know they might say something."

"We've already told everyone," Alice said solemnly, confirming to Ginny that she was indeed the last to be informed. "We're expected in the Headmaster's office…"

"Oh…"

Alice wrapped Ginny in her arms and Ginny found herself holding on tightly to the young witch. "You're wonderful Gin. Be strong and win this for us. For everyone," she whispered in her ear. Frank hugged Ginny as well and she walked them downstairs and out the front door. When they'd walked far past the boundary of the protective spells, they Apparated.

Regulus stood behind her when she finally closed the door. "You alright?"

"You told them about me leaving?" she whispered, keeping herself contained.

"Yes, I wanted you to know their choice before you left. Haven't you said anything to Remus yet?"

"I've tried."

"Oi, you lot," Mad-Eye called from the down hall. "Weasley, I've got another tail for you to pick up. Bring Black along why don't you?"

"See what I mean, no privacy here. I know why James offered the Manor for the Order but even if I wanted to stay I couldn't even talk about the _you-know-what's_ here anymore. I'm glad that wall is covered," Ginny said before stalking away after Mad-Eye.

* * *

Ginny and Regulus had been gone for a week already. Remus wondered where they slept during this tail and where they ended up going. Most of all, he just wished they were remaining safe.

He and Ginny were having such a hard time seeing each other over the last few weeks and it frustrated him to no end that they were always interrupted. But he understood it and accepted why. If he were to be with Ginny he was well aware that their relationship would not come first. The Order and the war would always be the first thing on Ginny's mind, the horcruxes her first priority. He understood this when Ginny did not return after Alice and Frank dragged her upstairs and then left thereafter. He knew what they were telling her and he was just glad it didn't upset her past the edge.

She was just so strong, to go through all that she had and continue on. He admired her in every way. He knew a long time ago that he wanted to be with her but now he felt much stronger than that. Over a period of time a desire to express how he felt to his best friends had developed and one evening, a calmer one than most, Remus sat with the rest of Marauder's and Lily in front of the fire.

"I hope Ginny and Regulus are all right. They've been gone for an awfully long time. Who are they following again?" Lily asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. The flat's been bloody boring though without Reg."

"I think they'll be fine," Peter assured them. "Ginny's quick with her wand."

"You're recalling that Bat-Bogey she set on you in class?" Sirius laughed and Lily smiled.

"We should be worried about her aim. That hex was meant for me. Although, I'm not sorry it hit you instead, Wormtail."

"Ginny's got excellent aim," James refuted, eyes on a book he was reading. He sat slouched in a sofa seat with his legs over one arm and his head resting on the other. Lily sat on the floor next to the chair with her back against the wall, knitting. "Remember when she was training us, she hit every single apple on that tree in the garden without a miss."

"Are you saying she hit Peter on purpose?"

"She was pretty terrified of him in the beginning," he said reasonably and glancing away from his book he saw Peter frown. "But I think her aim just improved," he said.

Remus smiled. "She's wonderful though, isn't she?" he said wistfully. "Guys, I think I'm in love with her." Lily smiled but Sirius, sensing conflict, sat up from his lying position on the sofa. Peter looked at Remus with a look of awe and fear. It was as if the whole room froze. Remus didn't know if he expected cheers or good wishes but he certainly expected more than silence. He glanced around at his friends who all stared at him, all but James.

James waved his hand in the air and laughed. "Who? Ginny? You can't be, she's in love with Harry," he said as if that would be the end of it. He resumed reading his book.

The room was still tense. Lily, now expressionless, dropped her knitting, the second of two powder blue socks for Harry, and her eyes flickered between Remus and her husband.

"I'm serious," Remus declared with an air of confusion.

"No, I'm Sirius," Sirius said, trying to deflate the tension with the recycled and dry joke. He shook his head at Remus before James put his book down and faced Remus sternly.

"I think you're misunderstanding, Remus. Ginny isn't really available."

"But you don't understand James, Harry doesn't exist yet and Ginny isn't going back to her time, she can't," Remus attempted to explain logically. Sirius buried his face in his hands.

James looked up hard into Remus's eyes as though telling Remus it was not a funny joke. "Remus, he _does_ exist. He's my son. He's real to Ginny and he's real to Lily and me," James said forcefully. "You can't be in love with her, she belongs to Harry."

"Mate, you've never even met Harry yet. He's not alive and Ginny knows that," Sirius said calmly in Remus's defense. James stood and glared.

"So you think wolf-boy over there should encourage my daughter-in-law to abandon my son because he's madly in love with her?" James barked at his oldest friend.

"Wolf-boy?" Remus said, hurt.

"Prongs, they weren't even married," Peter said.

"Only because he died before they could. They would've."

"How do you know?" Remus asked reproachfully, standing as well. Sirius and Peter moved to stand in between them. Lily sat back against the wall, silent.

"If Harry didn't die, Ginny wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be fighting at all. We all die, it doesn't mean we can't try to live happily now," Sirius said more maturely than anyone had heard him.

"You're just ungrateful Remus," James said pointing at him over Sirius's outstretched arm. "You end up with a wife and a kid in the future. You're greedy, you want everything. You're trying to take Ginny's life away. Well you can't!"

"Prongs, that's not what he wants and you know it," Peter tried to reason.

But Remus glared at James, unable or unwilling to say anything in reply. It was true that he'd not thought about the future wife and child Ginny said he'd have since the first time she mentioned it over a year ago. He didn't even remember their names. He felt ashamed of himself.

"You didn't think about them when you went falling in love with her did you?"

Simply enough, Remus, defeated, looked back and forth between his three comrades and turned out the door.

Sirius sighed, and shook his head at James. "Nice Prongs. What difference does it make to you? You had a family too. In fact, you've a family right now," he said motioning at Lily and her blue yarn, "one that's not terrified of being mistakenly eaten by a werewolf in the middle of the night. He hasn't even met or heard of the woman he married or the kid they had in Ginny's past and you're blaming him for abandonment already. We're alive now James," he said, shaking his friend's shoulders and James shoved him away. "We don't know how long we have. We all die. Even Ginny. Even Harry." And with that, Sirius followed Remus.

* * *

Regulus and Ginny returned home three days later. They'd successfully captured a young Death Eater who was now at the Ministry being questioned and would later be sent to Azkaban. They returned with high spirits only to have them forfeited by the awful tension that hung in the air at Potter Manor.

"Do you know what's going on?" Fabian asked Ginny one afternoon, also feeling the quiet disturbance that seemed to spread through the house like a low lying smoke.

"Seems like your friends are having a bit of a tiff," Gideon piggy-backed.

"I don't know. But I plan on finding out."

Ginny also was being avoided. Upon her arrival home Remus had not even welcomed her back. And so her attempt to ask him to go Horcrux hunting was even more strained, now by Remus himself. He went to lengthy efforts to be away from her, even resorting to walking right past her without a word.

James on the other hand watched her closely and kept asking her questions about Harry.

"What was he like? How tall was he? What kind of dates did he take you on?" She figured initially it was just a fever to know more about his son, since Lily would be pregnant by November at the latest. But when he asked if he was a good kisser, Ginny decided the questions were little too in depth and she started getting suspicious.

Meanwhile, she was continuing to waste a good deal of time waiting for Remus to get over whatever it was he was upset about. She would leave with Regulus instead if things weren't remedied soon. She decided at a particularly tense dinner one evening to question it.

"Sirius, might you tell me what's going on?" Ginny asked in a whisper. It was not lost on her that James and Lily were at one end of the long table to her left, James shooting daggers across the table at Remus, who sat with his elbows on the table, his face in his hands, staring down at the cold plate of food in front of him. They looked deranged. "Why has our happy group of many become three unhappy groups?"

After the wedding they decided to keep the kitchen table at the magicked length they'd made it for the event (in case many Order members were at the headquarters at the same time) so that James and Remus sat at least fifteen feet away from one another. Ginny sat directly in the center of the table beside Regulus and in front of Peter and Sirius.

"It's nothing. Will you believe that?" he told her hopefully. Peter shoved a fork worth two mouthfuls of food into his mouth and looked away.

Ginny shook her head. "Not for a moment. Regulus, do you know?"

He watched Remus tediously but shrugged, still eyeing him. "Must've happened when we were gone. No, sorry," he sighed. He wanted to punch Remus in the face for treating Ginny like she had spattergroit but he let it go because Ginny would be angry if he did.

"Well then Sirius, what's this all about? Because James looks like he's about to hex Remus into oblivion and Remus looks like he's about to take a headfirst dive off the side of a cliff. What's going on and why doesn't it include me?"

"There's no doubt it about you," Regulus said and Sirius stepped on his foot.

"Oh," Ginny said, suddenly interested in her food.

"It's about Harry too, actually," Sirius attempted to remedy.

"How could it be about Harry? He doesn't even exist yet," Regulus said loudly. James redirected his glare at Regulus, then, seeming to decide he'd go crossed-eyed trying to glare at them both, he returned it back to Remus. Ginny felt like jumping in between them for Remus's sake.

Sirius sighed and whispered, "James doesn't quite see it that way. Lily, I think, sees it like us but she doesn't want to fight with James just after being married so she won't tell James he's wrong."

"But then what does this have to do with Remus?"

Sirius hesitated. "It's none of my business."

Ginny's heart dropped.

Remus was always gone when she went looking for him. Never in the library or his room or the kitchen. Ginny wondered why he was hiding from her. She wanted to talk to him desperately.

She wished she had never told anyone about Harry. He was her memory, her past and now James was acting like he belonged to him. But in her world they were dead and Harry was hers and she didn't have to share him and that's how it had always been. If she hadn't told them about Harry, he would be her secret. Harry would still belong to her always. And they wouldn't be fighting. It was her fault the Marauders were fighting.

* * *

Early the next morning as Ginny dressed, she noticed a package wrapped in brown paper on her dresser with string tied into a bow to keep it secure. On top was a note written in Regulus's handwriting.

_A gift for your travels.  
May you wear it well wherever you may go.  
Keep safe, keep warm, keep moving  
and above all else keep strong._

_Much Love,  
R.A.B._

With a slight thrill of wonderment, Ginny tore open the package and from it she withdrew the most beautiful traveling cloak she'd ever laid eyes on. She put it on instantly and it felt like satin. The smoldering black color highlighted her bright hair and the tails of the cloak reached to the backs of her calves. The collar hiked up tall and fastened all the way up her neck so she wouldn't need a scarf. Double buttons tied down the front and there was even a nifty little pocket up the right sleeve for her wand.

Ginny was sure this cloak must've cost Regulus a fortune and a half and while her brain told her to give it back, that she was perfectly fine with Lily's hand-me-down cloak, her heart could not manage to be parted from it.

Still wearing it, Ginny darted downstairs where Regulus was probably sneaking breakfast (since neither he nor Sirius could cook up something worth eating). She ran through the living room and into the kitchen where all of her friends were eating breakfast. Regulus stood at the counter with his back turned away from her and she breathlessly leapt forward, calling his name. He turned and she kissed him square on the mouth.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	33. Reaction

**As always, the first thing I do: Thanks to Audrey Wilson, Angie Kangaroo, Jessica682, MuggleCreator, Aeliid, Blue Luver5000, Miscellaneous101, Random Happiness, AmazingAuthor1996, Beaufale, Sarah.A.A, Alexis Sam Potter, Abbey333, GinnyPotter91, She-Herself-And-I, Sweets5236, mingygirl12, Juliette Evens, lucky doggy, onebigscribble, julie662 and all the anonymous reviewers for reviewing, favoriting, and alerting even when I have mean, heart wrenching twists!**

**I have always been welcoming of criticism. I know that I am an amateur writer and what I write is imperfect. However, I ask kindly that you don't curse at me. Surely, there is a better, more eloquent way to get your point across. It's severely demoralizing and hurtful. I appreciate it. **

* * *

Chapter 33: Reaction

"You've got to be kidding me," Sirius said, mostly to himself.

Remus felt like his heart had been gauged from his chest and dropped into the middle of the ocean tied to a fifty pound anvil. And yet somehow he was still breathing. His emotions were a confusion of things. Sad, angry, heartbroken, even a little smug. He didn't know if he should just leave or turn his head to James to see his reaction. But eyes on Ginny, he saw her pull away from Regulus blushing bright red and Regulus grinned back at her. He let his eyes flit away.

"You're welcome?" Regulus said, bursting out in laughter. He looked her up and down. "You look great."

The silence in the room was a renowned feat for the Marauders, perhaps a moment to be recorded for history's knowledge, but everyone was too dumbfounded to recognize the auspicious moment. Neither Regulus nor Ginny seemed to be aware of anyone else in the room and they continued.

"You think so? It's probably the nicest thing I've ever owned, it's absolutely wonderful!" she exclaimed, oblivious of the five pairs of eyes staring at her blankly. "Thank you."

A little pang rang in Remus's chest. The coat was probably more expensive than the small cottage his parents owned. He could tell by how it encased her small frame that it was double lined, most likely with some sort of cashmere and the lining around the cuffs looked to be made of dragon hide.

"What about Harry?" James asked, calling their attention from their intimate moment. "You broke Harry's heart for _him_?"

Regulus faltered. "Excuse me?"

Ginny looked in turn from Regulus, who looked utterly bewildered, mirroring how she felt herself, and James who sat with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, braced against them, looking not quite as happy. "Broke his heart?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You belong with him," he said lamely. "Not anyone else. You said so yourself before." Ginny glanced at Lily who wore a doubtful-yet-helpless look.

Ginny paused "I don't want to be with - "

"Contrary to your belief that she belongs to Harry, there's no way you can expect her to hold onto someone from a different world," Regulus countered, repeating what he'd said to Ginny months ago. Remus quite agreed with Regulus in this sense but wished James would win anyways just to separate him from Ginny. "She can date whoever she wants to."

Ginny pressed her palm to his chest to have him withdraw his offensive physical demeanor. "Who says that I want to - "

"She's not supposed to be dating anyone. Not at a time like this," James said, standing.

Regulus put his nose up to James's. "So you're allowed to get married at a time like this but Ginny isn't allowed to date anyone? Because of Harry or because of you?"

"Of course because of Harry."

"Shouldn't it be my – " Ginny attempted to get a word in.

"I don't think so. Harry's dead. She can date whoever she wants."

"Even a Slytherin?"

At this comment Ginny froze, forgetting any protest to the argument she'd been attempting. She allowed her jaw to drop, absolutely astonished at what James Potter had just said. Regulus grunted and stalked out the back door, slamming it behind him.

Suddenly, Ginny became infuriated with James, and Remus (now that Regulus had left the room) sat back and watched James smugly. Her face turned red with anger and she crossed her arms over her own chest and her brown eyes practically turned black. Or perhaps red with fire.

"What has this anything to do with what House he was in last May? Regulus is a person, not a Death Eater, a person. He's on the right side, and that should be the only thing that matters. And until about five minutes ago he was your friend too and whatever House he was in at school didn't matter!"

Sirius muttered to himself that this argument had taken a wrong turn into something completely different for no good reason, quite irrationally. How had this gone from Ginny's dating choices to Houses? He gave James a _would-you-shut-up-and-just-explain-how-you're-really-feeling _look, which went ignored. He shrugged and shook his head. He would never understand why his friend went through tireless means to get his way before having to tell the truth anyways.

"It doesn't matter. I'd rather you date a Gryffindor, regardless. Safer," James decided. Sirius rolled his eyes and made to speak up but was interrupted.

"He doesn't mean any Gryffindor actually. It's got to be a certain one. A certain unborn one," Remus said bitterly, the last bit under his breath.

The look Ginny sent Remus sent spiders crawling up and down his spine and he cringed. "Now you're speaking with me? For your information, which House someone is in doesn't discern who I am attracted to. Harry was a Gryffindor by circumstance, not because I would only date someone in my house. I've dated a Ravenclaw before too. A Slytherin and a Hufflepuff are no different if they're good people. And another thing: that war that I was a part of - that _we_ are a part of - not everyone who fought for Harry was a Gryffindor. Snape certainly wasn't."

"What does this have anything to do with Snape?" Lily asked with a tone of warning.

Ginny wished she could recant that statement. "Nothing," she replied through her teeth, angry that Lily could so easily keep quiet when her husband was being a git but become scathing when Snape's name was merely mentioned. "Who says I want to date anyone?" she asked Remus snidely.

"You're the one who's made it obvious. You've been spending a lot of time with him," Remus said. "It isn't a surprise you're kissing him."

Ginny glared at him, reaching into her sleeve, and he involuntarily shrunk into his chair. "Keep ignoring me and perhaps I'll have shagged him by Halloween," she retorted flamingly. "As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're giving me the silent treatment you haven't got a say in who I choose to kiss."

"Well, you shouldn't be kissing anyone, not Regulus or Remus," James said.

Ginny's eyes widened. She looked from Lily to Peter to Sirius and back. Peter was unobtrusive as ever, shrunken into his chair for no good reason but not to get spit on in the crossfire. Sirius shook his head as if the whole matter was absolutely foolish. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, observing. "Is - Is that what t

his is about, this fighting?" Ginny asked. "The silent treatment from Remus and all the personal questions about Harry from you? That's what all of this is, Remus confessing to you his attraction to me and you forbidding him your approval?"

Remus flinched and James stared sorrowfully at the floor.

"This is truly the most outrageous thing you could possibly fight about! It's a fight that doesn't even properly exist!" Ginny had a fleeting memory of Hermione. "You all…" she hesitated, trying to find the right words, "you are all supposed to be friends." She stalked towards the door after Regulus.

"And for the record," she continued, turning back and shooting her gaze directly at Remus, "kissing Regulus was an accident. I meant to kiss his cheek because he gave me a new travelling cloak and he turned is head."

Everyone gazed at Ginny's unlikely apparel which they just noticed at her mention. "Why would you need a new traveling cloak?" Remus asked.

Now whipping out her wand she had the door to the living room slam shut. "Because I'm leaving within the week to search for horcruxes," she said through her teeth. "And I was going to ask you to come with me but now I don't really like you at all and I don't like being ignored. I was going to take Regulus instead. He's attentive and helpful and he's probably a better kisser anyways," Ginny shouted and turned to James. "But if I can't go with Remus and I can't go with Regulus, I suppose I'll just go alone."

"Then go alone, good riddance," James muttered.

"James!" Lily exclaimed.

"Alright, this needs to stop," Sirius bellowed, banging his fists on the table. James was his best friend, and always would be, but he wasn't scared of telling him when he was wrong. A long time ago, he hated a Slytherin for no reason at all - he'd learned enough about them between his parents and Snape. But after Ginny turned Regulus around he learned it wasn't the name of the House that made people who they are, it's the people around them that do.

"This was interesting at first but now it's gone out of hand."

"I think it was out of hand about ten minutes ago," Peter said under his breath.

Sirius ignored him and continued. "Ginny, you're not going anywhere alone."

"What do you mean? James will be glad to be rid of me, and keep me chaste at the same time," she replied tonelessly.

Sirius sighed, looked over at Lily with pleading eyes, and sighed again. "We need to get the root of the problem. And obviously it starts with James."

"I've already said how I feel," he said stubbornly.

"I've been your mate for eight years now and I know when you're feeling something awful." James grunted. "You're the one being unreasonable. You just bloody stamped a hole in Regulus's chest for the answer a bloody centuries old hat gave him when he was eleven," Sirius said easily. "Forget that he's saved your life and your wife's life before and that he's been nothing but grateful since you let him come here. If you think you can avoid death by controlling everyone you're going to lose them all."

Finally Lily spoke. "James is under the impression that if Ginny begins to date someone she will fall out of love with Harry and stop trying to defeat Voldemort."

"That's not true!"

Sirius gave James a scolding glance and crossed his arms.

"I remember that kiss. The one meant for Harry, when she first got here," James said pointing harshly at Ginny and addressing Remus, "when she thought _I_ was Harry. I felt how much she loved him…and if she loved him that much then there's no room for you or for Regulus. There's not room unless she's stopped loving Harry and she can't stop loving him, or else she won't help us save him."

"And there we are…" Sirius said, sitting now. Ginny sat too, a little beside herself. "Mate, if you're afraid that by dating Remus, or anyone, that Ginny is going to drop her fight against Voldemort and stop her efforts to protect our future and Harry you need to reexamine her as a person."

Ginny shared an appreciative glance with Sirius who nodded his approval.

Lily put a hand on her husband's back consolingly. "Sweetheart, I think Ginny's heart has plenty of growing room. You need to let her decide what's right for her."

Witnessing the exchange between husband and wife, Ginny's heart clenched.

"James you don't understand. I'm jealous of you."

"What about me is it that you envy?"

"The support you and Lily've got for one another. When I was with Harry it was always me supporting him because the only stressful thing in my life at the time were OWLs and that was nothing compared to prophecies, Death Eaters, and Horcruxes. But now that it's me that's got all this on my shoulders I haven't got Harry."

Where Ginny expected James to frown, to her surprise, he nodded with a solemn expression.

She went on. "It doesn't change the way I felt... the way I feel about Harry. It doesn't change the extent of what I would do for him, child or adult. But what they said is right. I won't ever go back to my time. It's been over a year since I've seen Harry, my Harry. I love Harry, and I always will. Nothing can ever change that and I will do everything I can to protect him. But that has nothing to do anymore with my relationships now. When Harry is born I'll be nearly twenty years older than he is. I love him but I can't love him like that anymore. And besides, there's another Ginny going to be born not too long after Harry and she'll be just as crazy about him as I was."

"But just say –"

"You seem to be forgetting that Voldemort didn't just murder my boyfriend. Even if I didn't love Harry anymore, which I do, Voldemort killed my entire family, all of my friends, everyone I ever knew. And to be honest, I think of you as my new found family. So if I won't fight for Harry, I'll at least fight for you lot."

James nodded again, looking slightly ashamed of himself but happy and proud nonetheless. Ginny hugged him and he apologized, thanking her for her loyalty and friendship and saying that he was being a stupid git about it.

"And another thing," Sirius said when making up was finally said and done. "Stop beating 'round the bush when something's bothering you because it always ends up with something going way out of proportion. If you just say how you feel in the first place it'll all get worked out in the proper manner."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Sirius, that was pleasantly insightful."

"Yes, very well, but this insightfulness is exhausting so make your husband strap up so I can go back to being the sightless, whimsical, trouble-maker like usual," he said, making everyone crack a smile.

* * *

Without the warmth spell Lily had invented Ginny felt the cold air hit her face the instant she was outdoors. Luckily, she had the cloak but she knew Regulus was not dressed for the weather. Following Regulus's path out the door through the snow Ginny found him sitting beneath the bare branches of a tree looking angry. When Ginny caught up to him, he was conjuring a white bandage from his wand and his right knuckles were dripping beads of red liquid into the white snow. The tree had a hole just the right size right in its trunk just above his head. She could see his breath in the air.

"He's mad. He still thinks you're going to end up marrying his son," Regulus said bitterly. "It's absolutely mad!"

"You're mad," Ginny said good-naturedly, "you just punched a tree. I think it's more satisfying to hex it a few times."

Recognizing her happy tone he said, "Did he apologize? Why was he being such a git?"

"He thought I would stop fighting Voldemort if I didn't love Harry."

"And he felt that by kissing me you would stop loving him," Regulus said aloud, understanding. "Why didn't he just say that in the first place? I mean, he's barking but at least we can understand what he wants. Going off on me for being a Slytherin…please."

"You should be getting an apology for that soon enough. Sirius might have him hanged from the toes if he doesn't. James didn't mean it anyways."

Regulus shrugged. "Yea I know. What did Remus say?"

Ginny sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "As much as expected."

"So pretty much nothing," Regulus confirmed. "Yes, well once my hand heals we're leaving. I'm quite sure you don't want to go with Remus."

"It'd be a quiet trip," she replied flatly. "We'll leave in the morning. Have Marlene patch you up, she's in the living room I think."

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on. Though James and Ginny were fine, and James had apologized extensively to Regulus, Remus was still keeping a long distance from Ginny. She spent the majority of the evening stressing how soon she was leaving and Lily was a great help.

They sat together in the living room as Ginny made a list of things she would need to gather that morning and the rest of the night to pack.

Right when Remus walked in Lily said, "Have you really got to leave tomorrow morning? Can't it wait a few days even? You'll be more prepared, this is just so sudden."

"Honestly, there's no reason to wait. There's no way to be even a little prepared. Blankets, we'll definitely need blankets. James won't mind if I snag a few from the linen closet in the morning right?"

"No. I'll have Awner pack you and Regulus big sacks of food. I dunno how often you'll be able to find a placet to eat. We'll find a way to stop by Gringotts before you go and give you some money, Muggle and wizard."

"We won't need too much, whatever's on hand here. It's dangerous to go into Gringotts, especially you since your little skirmish with Voldemort. And I don't know how many times we might be confronted by Death Eaters. I'll keep my dangerous excursions for when I'm destroying a Horcrux. We can make our own food." Ginny glanced up at Remus who was staring down at his desk. If he cared that she was leaving, he was doing a mighty fine job of keeping it to himself. He didn't even blink.

James and Lily went back to Godric's Hollow for dinner and Sirius and Peter left with Professor McGonagall to protect the Muggle Prime Minister for the evening, making a very uncomfortable seating arrangement. Ginny sat beside Regulus and in front of a silent Remus. The entire meal, Remus kept to himself as Ginny continued to stress that she was leaving in only a few hours. She and Regulus went over dueling tactics and the list of current Horcruxes and where they were or could be.

"We should go find the locket in the cave," Regulus suggested first.

Ginny shuddered, knowing that would be the very last Horcrux she would attempt to find and destroy. She shook her head resolutely. Death Eaters she could handle, however powerful they might be. She could at least comprehend them. But Inferi…that was something she thought she would never quite wrap her head around, and even the image of Harry being pulled under the icy water by dead hands made her shiver.

"Why do you want to find that one so badly? We know where it is and Voldemort is under the impression its safe. He's no intention to move it. It would be dangerous to attempt to destroy it before the other since it's the most heavily guarded, except perhaps the one in Gringotts but we're not even sure the cup is in the Lestrange vault yet. It's best to leave it for now."

"Because I was the one to find it last time," he answered.

"Yes, and you died in the process. It would've sunk to the bottom of the lake if it weren't for your house-elf Kreacher."

"But we know better now."

Ginny looked skeptical. "We've not got a disposable servant on hand to Apparate us away," she said and wondered at the tongue lashing she would've gotten if Hermione heard her refer to a house-elf as a disposable servant. "We have to have a house-elf. That's the only way to get truly get us back safely."

"Miss Ginny, Awner will be brave to help," the little house-elf said, wandering from the other side of the kitchen. Remus glanced up at Ginny for the first time in weeks, wondrous for her response.

"No Awner, that won't be necessary. But thank you," she said sweetly to the little elf who's eyes glittered. Awner bowed away looking slightly relieved. Remus returned to staring at his plate.

They finished dinner still in conversation over which Horcrux it would be advisable to go after first. Regulus was more optimistic. Harry hadn't known what any of them were or where they were; they had a head start.

* * *

"You really should talk to him before we go," Regulus said as they packed that evening in her room. She had a large brown rucksack and he had a blue Muggle duffle Lily had given him. "He probably thinks you've ditched him for me." He stood tall and put his hands on his hips regally. "Not that anyone would ask why."

"Shut it you," she said with a laugh, throwing a towel rolled up into a ball at him. "He can think whatever he likes. If he wants the truth he's got to be willing to ask for it."

"You're being stubborn. You make it really obvious that you had six older brothers when you get all self-righteous like that."

"I have bigger things to worry about than a boy who can't express his feelings."

"You haven't told him how you feel either."

Ginny shrugged.

"Do you love him?" She looked up, surprised at the sudden intensity of the question, speechless. She faltered and then looked back to her bag. "Well?"

"I don't think it matters."

"I think it does."

"It isn't up to you. So go to bed, get a good night's rest. I'll see you early in the morning."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Also, remind me never to take summer classes again come next May, ok? Just be like: "Jaclyn, look, you told us last time...don't take summer classes. Just don't do it. No. Seriously. No." Ok? Just like that. Thanks. :)**


	34. Their Job

**Thanks to: Marionetka, Sweets5236, Jessica682, Blue Luver5000, hhargrove, Bill4728, MuggleCreator, Eragonluver11, onebigscribble, Angie Kangaroo, je buurman, ShinigamiRae, Naddu, Queen of Night, lilyre, Crazy Female LEPrecon, EverydayMagic17, and blazeice9967 for reviewing, favoriting, and story alerting.**

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Chapter 34 – Their Job

Regulus returned to the flat when Ginny sent him home. She'd been sensitive about his question but that answered it nonetheless. He flopped onto the sofa, mind heavy with options. Sirius came around from the kitchen.

"I thought you were guarding the Muggle Minister?" Regulus asked, however weary of intrusions to his train of thought.

"Was. Switched off with Caradoc. Git said I couldn't handle an all-night lead," his brother reported with a frown, slumping into the sofa seat.

"You have fallen asleep before. James tripped over you on our last tail."

"That was just that one time," Sirius pouted, "and we hadn't slept in two days."

"Yet somehow James and I managed."

"Oh shut it. What got your knickers in a knot anyways? You're the one getting to leave to go Horcrux hunting."

"Jealous are we?"

"A bit yea. James is off with the wife, Remus will be sulking, and you'll be gone. I'll be stuck with Peter."

Regulus remained silent, tangled with what to do. Sirius nudged him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I asked if she loved Remus and she didn't answer me."

Sirius sank back into the sofa and sighed. "And by not answering, she actually answered you." He gazed over at his younger brother whose stoic expression confused him. "Was it really an accident? The kiss. Truthfully, was it?"

"Yes," he answered honestly. When Sirius raised his brows for further information Regulus sighed. "And no I wasn't hoping that she'd done it on purpose. I love Ginny but not like that and obviously the feelings are mutual."

"Then let me ask you this. What if it wasn't an accident? What if she did feel that way about you? Would you tell her you wanted to stay friends?"

It was as though his brother could read his heart like a book. No, Regulus wouldn't tell her that. He'd be whatever she wanted and needed him to be because, unbeknownst to most else, she was the most important person in the wizarding world and his own world. He'd do anything to ensure her happiness, even sacrifice his own. Although, he couldn't imagine a life with Ginny as either boring or saddening as she was his best friend.

Again, Sirius shook his head after a long silence. "By not answering, you've answered me and it worries me. It isn't your job to protect her."

And with more wisdom than Sirius had ever seen from his brother Regulus said, "No, it's everyone's job, everyone who knows. And one of us isn't doing his job and it's about time he pulled his weight."

* * *

Remus was in the bathroom washing his face and feeling miserable. Ginny had done it on purpose and he knew it. She took every advantage to make sure he knew that she was leaving, and leaving without him. He felt like such a prat. He felt so jealous but so conflicted.

He pulled on a pair of sleep pants over his boxers and crawled on top of his bed, not wanting to sleep. And even if he wanted to, his brain would not focus on anything but the image of Ginny and Regulus alone for weeks, gone away with only the stench of his coldness for memory.

Lying there quite helplessly, Remus attempted to fight his mind and think of ways to remedy what he'd done. He had the courage but the plan of action evaded him.

If only he could just be Regulus. He thought wildly of the Polyjuice Potion that was probably now packed away in Ginny's things. As this thought occurred to him a silver lion entered his room. Remus sat up waiting for it to say something. A message from Regulus was hardly wanted. _I won. You're a bloody coward. She wants me not you._

"You had damn well better pack your things and convince her you love her by morning. You've been a real git. If you don't talk to her now two things will happen. I will stun you, and you will lose her for good. She's angry with you but you need to grow up and talk to her."

As if being uprooted from the ground like a tree, Remus jumped from the bed and was out of the room before the patronus had even dissipated. Just do it. All he'd needed was a kick start and gave a fleeting reminder to thank Regulus.

He stepped into the hallway and started right down the stairs and he was half way down when he saw she was just walking up the stairs in her dressing gown, her wand in her limp hand by her side. He froze.

"Ginny…" Remus called but she walked right passed him without a glance. "Ginny…Ginny, please don't ignore me!"

"Don't like how it feels either? Good," she replied, continuing to walk, up the stairs, back down the hall toward her own room.

"I want to go with you," he called, following her. "More than anything, I want to go with you. I don't want you to go with Regulus."

She stopped. "Why not?"

"Not because of what I said earlier. I didn't mean what I said about him. I naively jumped to conclusions and I was controlled by my jealousy. I was stupid and I should've known better."

"Regulus is just a friend."

"That's the thing though. No friend worth having is ever _just_ a friend. They're always something more and then the kiss, accidental or not…I just didn't know."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. At least he was honest. "So you were jealous. Still doesn't explain why you have been ignoring me."

"I…I felt guilty," he admitted. He looked down at shoes trying to continue but unable.

Ginny studied him, pondering what could bring someone like him to guilty silence, with such a guilt that he would abstain from speaking to someone he presumably cared so much for. He wrung his hands like he was attempting to say something awful. He looked like Louis Vanderbilt when he told her roommate Annalisa Saunders that he'd cheated on her back in their fifth year. The only woman Remus would ever feel that way about would be… "James brought up Tonks and Teddy, didn't he?" Ginny said softly, lowering her guard. "When you told him how you felt…"

"You see, and I didn't even remember their names!" he exclaimed, covering his scarred face with his hand. Shame did not become Remus one bit.

"You shouldn't feel ashamed of that," she assured him, slightly relieved that his guilt was fictional rather than a tangible wrong-doing. "They're a faraway fairytale for you. Just because James's is happening now doesn't mean yours is too. Things have changed since I've come here. Anything I've told you all is subject to change."

"But I've realized, Ginny, I don't care anymore about what anyone else thinks. It doesn't matter to me who I married then… in the future, whatever. If that's meant to be then it will be. This is different, this is now. And right now I want to be with you, every moment of every hour of every day."

Ginny blushed. "That's a lot more than going on a Horcrux hunting camping trip."

"I think I might be in love with you."

Ginny's eyes widened. She took a deep breath, her head and heart clouding up. "That's much, much more than going looking for horcruxes." Now that the moment was here, of its own accord, Ginny was unsure if this was what she wanted, if it was a good idea. But the pull in her stomach still pulled her toward him, even more than the pull of Voldemort dragging her away. But she was still wary.

"Remus, you know my responsibilities and I'm not in any position to say this will last," she warned him.

He shook his head. "I don't need forever. I want you for as long as you'll have me. For a while. For now, even. Just as long as you'll take me."

"I've got a job to do," she continued and he interrupted her.

"The Horcruxes will always come first," he assured her. "I know that."

Ginny nodded. "You should start packing then, my love."

Harps and violins and little chubby angels seemed to dance around Remus's head for a split second as his legs melted with joy before he could do a cartwheel down the hallway. Hearing that lovely phrase from her lovely lips was the only thing he'd wanted to hear for weeks.

"I'm a mess," she said, as well, as if cautioning him. "There's not much worth caring for."

"You're worth the world."

And in more ways than one, Remus was exactly right.

* * *

** I know it's short but adding much else would make it an awkward chapter. ****Thanks for reading!**


	35. The Riddle Mansion

**Thanks to MaeSilverpaws1, Jessica682, Ddraig93, MuggleCreator, Starbell Fairy, Scotland Evander, ctc, Angie Kangaroo, BlueLuver5000, EverydayMagic17, lilyre, Jalice Whitlock, HarryPotterLover2, karigrace, PheonixMinx, karigrace, DemiXXI, womynrule, Elizabeth . peacock .353, erizzasantos, BelievesInNargles and all Guest readers for reviewing, favoriting and alerting!**

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Chapter 35 - The Riddle Mansion

In between performing the Dark Lord's bidding and the pleasantries that the more eloquent and wealthy Death Eater families required of the younger, Severus Snape spent an inordinate amount of time pondering over the girl he knew to be named Ginny Weasley. He must have examined the Weasley family line back centuries a dozen times over and not once did he find a Ginny Weasley. In fact, he hadn't even found a female Weasley except for a spotty old wizard that was known for dressing with more femininity than he ought to have. He spent weeks digging into the history of blood-traitor family and found a lineage of men going back generations. The living Weasley family had already six children, all boys.

The study in his Spinner's End home was littered with rolls of parchment; some obtained legally, others through less honest means. He searched for her history with no end and no results. Regardless of the trademark red hair and freckles, according to every official document he'd laid eyes on, there was no such person as a Ginny Weasley.

Ruffling a hand through his hair and slamming a book shut, Snape grunted in frustration. He did not enjoy being made a fool of and he was determined to find the answer. Limited as he was however, he resolved not to resort to asking the help of a fellow Death Eater. He dare not ask a comrade – whoever this red headed phantom was, she was too close to Lily to allow any kind of suspicion to reach her.

It wasn't Ginny Weasley's existence that initially started Snape looking for information. Not only did she know things only he was meant to know, for some reason, Ginny Weasley had deliberately allowed him to Apparate her away from her friends, and then stalled to keep him away until the danger had gone. All evidence showed that she had protected him from harm; surely neither Potter nor Black would've hesitated to kill him. Now that they were out of school, all the rules were different. Dumbledore would commend them rather than expel them. At any rate, it was clear that Weasley wanted him alive. He didn't know why and he would be damn sure to find out. But in his attempt so far, he'd come up with nothing.

He wanted to scold Lily. It was just like her to get into something mysterious. When they were kids, Lily searched for excitement and usually found the adventure she was looking for. Snape grimaced. He'd once hoped Potter was merely an ill chosen adventure. The ring on her finger told him otherwise. By now they were married. It broke his heart a million times over every time he thought about it, and he did so often. Not purposefully. Dwelling on the loss of the only person he ever really cared about was not comfortable nor was it uplifting by any means. He believed it to be a natural punishment his heart had set to him.

An unexpected yet familiar burn in his left forearm made him bite his lip. He sighed. The satisfaction of being part of something bigger than himself was wearing quickly. Power had been impressive years ago. The Dark Lord was powerful, more-so even than Dumbledore. At least that's what was apparent to Snape. The Dark Lord would make sure Muggles like Snape's father were put in their place. With that, and a last fleeting thought of Lily, Snape stood and Disapparated.

* * *

Ginny and Remus, hand in hand, Disapparated from the front lawn of Potter Manor. Lily had restrained her tearfulness to Ginny's relief. However determined she was to defeat Voldemort it was not an inviting trip they were headed on and it would be simple to just stay behind and leave her responsibilities to the adults. But she was an adult now, and the memories she held tight to confirmed it for her. They landed in a wooded area with bright green grass and much more sunlight than the Forbidden Forest had even at the outskirts. They were just outside Little Hangleton where Ginny expected to find Marvolo Gaunt's ring. She looked down at her hand and realized she had an exact replica…not even a replica, the actual thing. At least she knew what it looked like.

She felt Remus looking at her and she pushed a small blush from her cheeks. Remus gently set down two packs, one filled with clothes, with a rolled up sleeping bag hooked to it and the other filled with food. Ginny, rather carelessly, set down three, one with her own clothes and sleeping bag, another pack of food, and the last with everything important they owned: Harry's memories, the Invisibility Cloak, a basilisk fang (wrapped with extreme care), and an extremely large supply of Wolfsbane Potion. Remus gave her a parenting look, likely concerned for the contents of the final bag.

"Shall we go then?" Ginny asked, after picking up the bag and tying it around her waist.

"Now? And leave our things here? The sun's hardly risen," Remus said.

"That was the point, we don't want much company while we snoop around some old dumpy shack."

He nodded, agreeing. "True. But then what do we do with our things?"

Ginny raised her brows sarcastically. He crossed his arms, daring her to continue with an expression he might've given to Sirius if it hadn't the hint of flirtation. "We _are_ wizards," she answered matter-of-factly. "Leave the food and clothes under a Muggle Repelling Charm in a tree and I'll keep hold to this bag," she said indicating the final bag with everything they couldn't lose. "At least if something does go wrong we'll still have it."

"Good idea. Do you think a Muggle Repelling Charm will be enough?" he asked speculatively.

Ginny didn't think there was a wizarding community within the Muggle neighborhood. As far as she knew, the wizarding population in Little Hangleton had begun and ended with the Gaunt family. She nodded. "I don't see any reason any wizards would be around here except for perhaps Voldemort himself. And even then, there isn't anything in those bags that would make anyone believe they belonged to wizards even if they were found."

"Except for the Muggle Repelling Charm you want me to put on them. That can be easily detected by another wizard and they'll know for sure."

"Right," she said, feeling a little silly. Why was it that when Remus was around she wasn't as keen as she was normally? She shook it off. "Well I don't think it matters all that much. Just hang them." The sun was rising hastily and she was eager to get going. Even if they didn't find it today they could spend some time looking for the ring. It was only a little ring to find in an entire home and she was sure Voldemort had spent an effort hiding it.

They headed together immediately towards town. The trail was empty and the walk was silent except for a few birds searching for breakfast. Remus allowed the back of his hand to "accidentally" brush Ginny's a few times before he actually took hold of it. He laced his fingers in hers and she looked up at him, a little surprised.

"This is okay, right?" he ventured. She smiled and gave his hand a little squeeze. That feeling in her stomach…that's why she wasn't so keen.

They continued on the road for another twenty minutes before scattered homes made their presence. A small sign noted the beginning of the town. A cobblestone street lined with bright green grass and open, inviting yards went right down the center of the town. Tall street lamps and quaint mailboxes headed the front of every lawn, each with a perfected garden and path to the front doors the homes. And although their entryways were similar each home was unique from the others. Some had very tall roofs while others were very long and narrow. Most had flourishing gardens.

Remus and Ginny took to the right sidewalk and made themselves seem the couple meant for early morning walks. Ginny would one day admit to herself that, without the prospect of finding and destroying Horcruxes in order to defeat the darkest wizard in magical history, she could envision herself happily taking this walk on any given day, just to be in Remus's company. But instead of enjoying herself, she was concentrated on finding the ramshackle cottage that she remembered from Harry's memories.

"Good morning!" they heard a woman's voice call and both heads turned swiftly to the other side of the street. Remus's grip tightened on hers but all they saw was a young Muggle woman, no older than they were, walking down the path from the front door. She stopped at her mail box and smiled brightly at them.

"Morning," Remus said, but Ginny knew he was deciphering her sincerity. She seemed all smiles however, and he nodded back to her. They really ought to be less paranoid, and Ginny reminded herself to remain calm. Everyone that lived here was a Muggle and posed no threat.

Although the couple kept walking and made no attempt to continue conversing with the woman she called, "Where you off to so early?"

"Just walking. Taking in the nice day," Remus replied too politely.

"Looking at some of the sites," Ginny added as the girl fingered through a few a pieces of mail. "Thought we'd get a head start."

She shoved her mail back into the mailbox and forthrightly walked straight across the street at them. More than a little taken aback, they stood still and she approached them severely. "Well if you want tips, I know this town back and front. I've lived here my whole life. The best places to go are the fountain at the center of town, the mayor's hall, and the graveyard." Ginny's quick intake of breath did not go unnoticed and the girl turned to her with a grin. "You're not afraid of a graveyard are you? Anyways, it's best at night, so I advise you have dinner before you head there. I'm Analise by the way. What're your names?"

Remus stumbled over himself but Ginny said, "This is Cedric," as it was the first name that came to her mind. "And I'm …Luna. It's nice to meet you Analise." This girl must not have any contact with anyone their age and it was easy to believe with how small a town she lived in.

"It's nice to meet you too. As I was saying, the graveyard is best at night but if you want something really interesting, the best place to go is the Riddle house. It's the big mansion down the end of the lane all blocked off by fences and hedges. Been empty for years except for Frank the gardener."

"The Riddle house?" Remus asked, glancing down at Ginny.

Analise nodded earnestly. "Yep. My mum said the family who used to live there were no good people but with a house like that they must've been wonderful!" she chimed rather naively. Both Remus and Ginny thought of their own beat-up homes and eyed her with some reprehension. She leaned in, oblivious to their expressions, and whispered, "Before any of us were born, they were murdered. Found dead in the house and no one could explain how. Creepier than the graveyard, I think. Especially when rumor is that the gardener did it. He still lives there, all holed up by himself. Except no one could prove he did it."

"I don't think he did it," Ginny said and Analise gave her a questioning glance.

"I think she means the police would've caught him if he's done it," Remus amended.

Analise shrugged and smiled. "He's a dark sort anyhow. Keeps to himself all cozied up in that place. No one understands why he stays. But the gates have been locked for as long as I've been alive. I'll bet that lock is rusted over. You could probably smash at it and it'll break like a brittle bone," she said as if suggesting she'd wanted to try herself all these years. She winked. "I won't tell anyone if you try."

Thanking her and moving on with a lingering feeling between curiosity and confusion, Ginny led the way towards the back of the town. After speaking with Analise, everything about this town now made her mournful. She'd known before they'd come that Dumbledore had been harmed here, by the ring. She was not, however, prepared for the sting of loss that came when Analise described the graveyard and reminded her of Cedric Diggory's immediate death. That of course, and the return of Voldemort. They swooped right passed the graveyard without a second glance.

"You alright?" Remus asked softly. She nodded. For the first time in a while she wanted to be angry at someone, anyone, for letting Voldemort return. But she refused to take it out on Remus and nodded silently.

They came about the aforementioned mansion not too long after they skipped the graveyard and piqued interest slowed their paces as they walked by its fences. For an abandoned old mansion they could see through the gates that the lawn and the garden were pristinely kept up.

"So do you think, you know if we get separated, that we should choose a place to meet?" Remus said conversationally, a tone which didn't match the importance of the subject.

"Grimmauld Place," she replied automatically.

Remus looked at her as if she were a Blast-Ended Skrewt. "I was thinking a place not associated with the Order too but more like King's Cross or the Leaky Cauldron. Not necessarily a Death Eater banquet hall. That's where Sirius's parents live. You are kidding right?"

Ginny thought back to when she spent Christmas at the home and wondered at how she couldn't think of it as a scary place. "Actually, I wasn't. In my time it's the Phoenixes Headquarters but obviously it isn't now. I forgot. Although your idea to stay away from anything that has to do with the Order is probably smart."

As she finished her sentence they reached the gate of the large estate and with her wand hidden under her sleeve she unlocked the binding. Ginny turned to see Analise, still watching them for her door step, smile and wave before going inside her own home.

"I wonder if she'll keep an eye on us from that side window in her house," Ginny said with some unease.

Remus shrugged. "We better go inside anyways for a while just to ease her interest. Once we're inside she'll probably get bored and go back to whatever she was doing."

"I don't know. She seemed pretty interested in what we were doing." The woman reminded Ginny of the stories that Harry would tell her about his aunt always snooping over the fence to overhear the neighbors, craning that extra-long neck of hers. Remus led her through the gate with his hand at the small of her back and she felt better instantly.

"We'll just leave through the back door and to the shack. It'll be good to know a few things about Voldemort's past anyways. We can obliviated her later if it makes you more comfortable. And she's a muggle. I doubt she's working for him." Ginny gave him a skeptical look. "Just stay on your guard."

Without bothering to knock, Remus turned the knob and opened the door. They slipped inside and closed it quietly behind them.

When they looked passed the dust and cobwebs they saw that the Riddle home was not reminiscent of an evil man who killed people and creatures for sport. Most intriguingly there were no snakes or snake-like ornaments surrounding the house like they were sure to find in the Gaunt shack when they came to it. But they should not have expected there to be. Instead, it marked the dwelling of a family with much more wealth than either Ginny or Remus could imagine. Even Potter Manor didn't compare to the ornamentation the Riddles' home had. Above them was the most ornate chandelier, most likely fashioned out of gold with crystal droplets that glittered like diamonds. The front room centered on a black wooden grand piano that, instead of being raised on a dais was actually lowered a few steps into a small swell. This swell was surrounded by luxurious velvet loveseats in deep red. Large windows stretched from the floor to ceiling and were heavily draped in velvet hangings in gold. The vaulted ceiling had sun windows made with stained glass, illustrating a young woman and man, assumedly the Riddles. Although everything was out of date, the regality and expense could not be mistaken.

Ginny's eye was caught by a large family portrait hanging in a golden frame above an empty fireplace made of stone. "He was very handsome," she said.

Remus followed her gaze to the family portrait that didn't move as wizard portraits did. The family depicted seemed happy. A man with a monocle and tall hat with dark whiskers had an arm around the waist of a woman with light hair pulled back into an intricate know. She wore a long gown with a large circumference at the bottom. Her hand rested on the shoulder of a young man seated in front of her in a throne-like seat. Tom Riddle Senior looked in that portrait to be about their age now. His strong bone structure was balanced by soft grey eyes and a warm smile. He seemed perfectly harmless. Ginny could understand Merope Gaunt's infatuation. If this boy had been at Hogwarts, he would've caught her eye as well. She let her mind pause. In fact, her idolization of Harry when she was young was quite similar, however less self-destructive. "The older lot of the Order says Voldemort was handsome too," he told her.

"It's hard to believe Voldemort is related to these people," she said, lifting a small decorated box from a side table and inspecting it.

"Imagine if he'd grown up here instead of an orphanage. He'd probably have lived a splendid life. Probably wouldn't hate Muggles."

"You think things would really be different?" Ginny asked doubtfully.

Remus shrugged. "Perhaps. But without one evil, surely comes a greater one. If not him than it'd be someone else."

Ginny thought about that and reasoned that it was probably true. Voldemort wasn't the only one to believe that Muggles and Muggle-borns were scum. She could almost imagine Bellatrix in his position but there was no doubt she was a devote follower and not a leader of any sort. Maybe Lucius, but he was much a coward. Someone worse…she could hardly imagine. "He did kill them all though. His own family. Personally, I think it's his nature. He was born angry and unloving," she said finally.

"You don't think the way people are raised have anything to do with who they become why they're older?"

"No, I do. But I can't believe it completely. Harry was raised by an unsightly pair. Hated wizards and treated him like scum. He was probably beaten a few times. But he turned out alright."

They continued exploring through the home room by room, not leaving the other's sight merely by habit. There were no modern day Muggle appliances that she remembered her father tinkering with in his shed in the Riddle house. The last time anyone ever lived here was at least thirty years ago, maybe more.

The kitchen was massive and clearly not built for simple cooking. "Do you think they had maids? A cook probably."

"Yes, I'm sure of it," Ginny replied circling the wonderful wooden table in the attached breakfast nook, running her palm across the top of its soft surface. "It would be wonderful to live like this. No worries about having enough money for food or textbooks or clothes."

"One day," he said. They sat together at the table a few long moments looking around the glorious kitchen and trying to imagine themselves living a life in a place like the mansion. He put a hand over hers on the table.

The bag rubbed between her hip and arm rest of the chair she sat in and she became acutely aware of the presence of the vial of memories tucked away. She sighed. "No one but the Black's and Malfoy's will live like this if we don't find the ring. We've got to go. It's almost lunch time."

"What do you two think you're doing?" a rasping, but strong and angry voice asked and Ginny flinched. Remus grabbed her hand quickly, rubbing his thumb over hers. Had the voice hissed instead of growled she would've been sure the Killing Curse would've been the next thing she heard. But with Remus's consolation she turned to find an old man with hunched shoulders and a cane glaring at them from the back doorway.

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	36. Frank Bryce

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Chapter 36 - Frank Bryce

Frank Bryce had never seen a more curious pair in his long life except, of course, for one other but he didn't like to think about that. When he opened the back kitchen door he allowed it to swing freely with such a force as to produce a starling _bang! _ when it hit the wall opposite, making the couple jump up from the table. He gave them a once over and decided they were much younger than he'd first thought when he'd initially caught a glimpse of them through the living room window as he brought his trash to the street corner. With barely a moments look, he'd assumed they were curious wealthy retirees looking for a quaint and quiet place to not be disturbed. Such visits weren't unusual. The grandeur of the Riddle mansion was known widely.

The problem however, was that the mansion was currently owned. This information went often overlooked since this man was wealthy enough to own multiple mansions and valued his sanity enough not to live in this particular mansion of his. Although the house was owned, no one resided inside of it. And to Frank, it was better off that way.

Nonetheless, this owner had given Frank the task of informing anyone who asked that the mansion was not for sale. And so after dropping his trash and picking through a few useless pieces of mail he made the long walk toward the mansion from his dingy cottage at the back corner of the spacious property.

Frank couldn't decide if the boy was tall or if he was just more bent over than the day before. The boy had light stringy hair, a narrow face and frame, and was clothed in scars of the like Frank had never seen, and he'd been at war in Germany when he was this boy's age. They slashed in gaping lines across his face and neck and arms, some fresher than others. It took a moment for Frank to avert his eyes and allow his wonderment at how such a child could acquire scars to this degree in peacetime to abate. His gaze slid to the girl. She was not trying to be bright but her hair was as fluorescent as a light bulb. Her freckles acted as arrows giving attention to her face and large brown eyes that seemed to glow. Although she too was young, Frank detected a slight formation of worry-lines in between and around her eyes. He recognized a look of sincere relief spread across her features when she laid eyes on him and it annoyed him. He frowned deeply and glared. He would not allow her to take him so lightly.

Little did Frank know that Ginny's relief stemmed from her paranoid suspicion that the door had been opened by an evil much more terrible than any cantankerous old man.

"What do you two think you're doing?" the old man asked.

He took two more steps into the kitchen through the back door and scowled angrily at the two of them. They looked more than guilty, although they'd done very little wrong but be inside the mansion.

"I said, what do you two think you are doing here?" he repeated himself gravely.

Remus stepped forward, pushing Ginny an inch behind him protectively. She moved his hand and stepped forward too, making him glance at her with a peculiar look before turning back to the man and politely saying, "We meant no harm. We were just looking around. It's very nice home for no one to be living here."

With beady, cautious eyes the man studied Remus's honest expression for fault. "This house is not a museum open for patrons, young man. I'm afraid you'll both have to leave," he said bitterly.

"Of cour-"

"We're trying to find a home suitable to our tastes. This estate is lovely," Ginny said, looping an arm into Remus's. Remus remained quiet, rather beside himself but playing along.

The man looked the two up and down and evaluated their less than exquisite attire. Besides the girls extravagant coat, they were both lamely dressed. He frowned. "This is house is neither for sale nor a suitable home. You will leave immediately," he dictated.

"I suppose this means the only home in this town left is that awful shack. We'd have a job fixing it up-"

"No." The man, who'd been turning around with the expectation that she and Remus would follow him out, looked back at her with incredulity. "That place is even worse off than this one. You're better off looking in Greater Hangleton. It's only six miles off. Come along."

Alarmed at his response, Remus fished for more. "What do you mean it is worse off? What's wrong with it?" The man's suspicious gaze led Remus to continue, "Besides that it's in great disrepair."

A dark look cast over the man's features in way that made Ginny's insides cold. Whatever Voldemort had done to that shack after he killed his last living relatives, it was dark enough for the Muggles to avoid the place.

"The house and the shack became vacant about the same time, right?" Ginny asked, feigning ignorance, when the old man did not reply. Naturally this was the wrong thing to say.

Frank eyed Ginny with suspicion wondering what she'd heard and exactly how she'd interpreted it. Analise and her playful imagination had probably spoken to these two travelers on their way into town. He would have her mother whip her for speaking to strangers about that damned shack, whether or not she was of age. That girl's stories were going to get people killed. Frank sighed. "How about a spot of tea?" he asked. "We can talk more about it there," he said pointing to the homely cottage out the back door.

"That'd be lovely," Ginny replied.

Frank was not thick. Anyone who'd ever tried to ask him questions would politely decline any invitation he gave. The rumor that'd he'd killed the Riddle family was a well-known one, and whether or not they believed it, travelers were always wary of him. But these two held no fear of him whatsoever and he was sure Analise had mentioned his involvement.

With this conclusion, he understood they knew more than anything Analise could tell them about this place.

Ginny and Remus followed the man outside the home towards the small cottage on the outer corner of the property. It was quaint, covered in glorious flowers and foliage, and neat. They walked in relative silence, except for the few sounds of the townspeople that they could hear from over the hedge.

Lifting a key from a hook by the door, the man unlocked the door and allowed them inside. Both Remus and Ginny felt instantly comfortable in the cozy living room. A few plushy but old couches with many warm throws and pillows made the room seem like a giant comfortable bed. That sat politely on the edge of their seats when offered instead of lying back.

"You must be Frank, the gardener," Remus said, as the man carried a tray for three to the round table before them.

Frank nodded and sat down slowly, using his cane for balance. He lifted his tea cup. "And you are clearly not a young wealthy couple in search of a new home?"

"Cedric," Remus said smoothly.

"I'm Luna," Ginny followed.

"I'm sure Analise told you of her suspicions, and yet you're still here."

"They're not only her suspicions," Ginny said pointedly while Frank took a sip. He glanced at her over the rim of his cup. "The whole town believes you killed the Riddles. But they are not our suspicions."

Something about this young lady intrigued Frank and he couldn't help but wonder what on earth she knew. "No one has stayed in this mansion for very long since the Riddles passed. Very eerie feeling about the place."

"So there have been residents of the mansion since," Ginny said, ponderously. "The portrait in the front room is of the Riddles isn't it? Why is it still hanging then?"

"It cannot be removed. I've tried for decades. It seems that the ghosts that haunt that home do not wish to be forgotten."

Remus gave a sidelong glance to Ginny who shrugged. They knew it was impossible for Muggles to return as ghosts. Only witches or wizards could, but why Tom Riddle would permanently stick a family portrait of people he despised on the mantle as if he were boasting of them? Glorifying them even?

"What were they like, the Riddles?" Remus asked.

"Bitterly arrogant, the lot of them," he replied immediately. "Noses up in the air as they pranced through town, knowing they were richer than anybody else. At the time, they owned half the valley. To them it meant they owned the whole town and everyone in it. They were cocky and everyone knew it and they let everyone know it. But they hired me and allowed me my quiet even as a young man. I'm forever grateful for that. They were disliked by everyone in town, although no one spoke of it to them. Intimidated, see."

"Someone must've told them they were snobby gits," Ginny blurted and before Remus could step on her foot Frank sighed and took a long sip of his tea.

He set down his cup and looked out the window beside them. Ginny followed his eyes and without having realized it before, there it was. The shack stood, or barely stood, a few hundred yards away, framed perfectly by the window. You could see it clearly through the thick trees that surrounded it. This was probably the only direction from town that one could view it like this. Her stomach dropped.

"The Gaunts never told the Riddles they were snobby gits. But they were open with their distaste of them, unlike anybody else. That family though…had distaste for everyone in town. It wasn't just the Riddles and their arrogance that they disliked. They looked down upon everyone in town, and for what reason I could never guess, looking at that hovel they lived in. They were awful men, prejudiced. Over what I never knew. Shouted gibberish at people in town and laughed about it. Even in that dingy little place they thought they were better than everyone else. Top of the world, they were. The son often hissed like a snake at anyone who passed too close. The father was always yelling some nonsense or other."

Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt were just as disgusting in description as they were in memories. Just listening to Frank made Ginny's spine tingle. "And the daughter?" Ginny prodded.

The man's back seemed to straighten a bit. He didn't question how she knew there had been a daughter. "Kept to herself. Rarely left that old shack. I'd imagine she was abused. But it was so puzzling when…well when Tom Riddle married the Gaunt girl!" Once again, the couple hardly reacted. They knew this too.

"Tell us about when Tom Riddle came back," Remus said. "He was gone for a while, off with her, wasn't he?"

"I remember he was angry. For years he'd curse that girl's name time and time again. Had a few scruples with the younger Gaunt man over the years but nothing too serious," he said when Ginny's eyes widened. "Something held Gaunt back from killing him. I was sure he would one day."

They sat in silence for a bit, sipping their tea.

"You say you don't believe me to have murdered the Riddles, as horrid as I've depicted them," Frank finally prodded. "You obviously know more than I do about that evening."

Remus glanced over at Ginny with uncertainty. He wanted to ease the man's soul but knew he should follow Ginny's lead. She took a breath and put down her cup.

"Tom became disenchanted with his marriage when he learned that Merope had become pregnant." Ginny knew this was as close to the truth as she could get given Frank was a Muggle. "He returned home without her, as you know. She was devastated. And not too long after she passed away giving birth to a child at an orphanage. It was this child that years later went to find his family and upon learning of his father's abandonment sought revenge on the father and family that did not want him. And unfortunately he pinned it on the uncle that abused his mother for years."

Frank contemplated this information slowly, allowing it to sink in. "That young man climbing the hill," he murmured to himself. You lot are from a different world. Magic."

"No – " Remus said anxiously,

"What did you see that night?" Ginny asked, interrupting Remus with great curiosity.

Frank shook his head. "Green light. Never saw it before in my life at the time. Light like that hadn't been invented."

"Green light," Ginny repeated. "Yes. I'm sure you saw green light."

"What's the green light?" he asked.

Both Remus and Ginny remained silent.

"Was the boy ever held responsible for murdering his family?"

"No. Not yet," Ginny replied with a bite to her tone.

Frank didn't know much about these two. They were much too young to know anything about what they knew. This Luna girl spoke of events that happened at least a decade or two before her birth as though she were there herself. She knew almost what he would say when she asked him questions. And while it was very unnerving to sit here discussing age old events as though they'd happened days prior, there was a serenity to learning the truth. Or as much of it as she would say. It was not lost to him, especially with Cedric's denial, that their world of magic was a secret. And rightfully so.

"You said the shack was worse off than the mansion. What did you mean by that?" Remus asked.

"Rumor is it's haunted. But it's much more than haunted. I would guess you lot would say it's cursed? No ones been inside that place since Gaunt left but a few have tried to enter to their own detriment. A man looking for a home was the first. His hand crumpled up like a shriveled fruit in a matter of seconds. He died a week later from shock. Most recently a couple boys wanted to use it for a smokehouse. One went mad at the touch of one of the windows. The other, I think the one who threw the rock through the window, was found curled in ball in the forest crying. Didn't stop for weeks. That shack is a danger to anyone who walks passed it. People go mad walking near it."

"Seems like every inch of that place is cursed Gi – Luna." Remus gave Ginny a worrisome look. However advanced they'd become disarming curses whatever Dark Magic that had hurt those Muggles was put there by Lord Voldemort himself. That sort of dangerous power would have to be dealt with delicately. After all this he couldn't let Ginny go mad at the touch of a doorknob.

"We'll have to proceed with great caution," she said firmly and Remus wondered at how she remained stoic. Frank on the other hand, gaped at her.

"You mean after what I've told you you're still going to go near that place?"

"I don't have a choice. There's something hidden inside that I need to find and destroy."

Frank only nodded, understanding sooner than Ginny had thought he would. He looked down at his leg, the one he had probably limped on for years with that cane as his only support. He sighed, thinking of how it happened. Glancing up at Remus and then back at Ginny he nodded once more. "I may not know much about you lot. But I do know one thing. It doesn't matter what world you're from. They always send out their young to do their fighting."

* * *

Although Frank was by no means eager to allow them to attempt to traverse the threshold of that awful place he quickly accepted that he hadn't really a choice. He understood, probably better than any other Muggle would have within the circumstances.

It was late into the afternoon when their conversation finally came to a close. The old man in Frank grew fatigued of having company so long and as interested as he was Remus and Ginny insisted that he rest. He asked them where they would stay and Ginny told him the truth.

"That won't do. This place is too small. I've only got one thing to offer," he said holding out his hand to indicate the mansion.

They thanked him and went to retrieve their things.

That was where they ended up come nightfall after they'd examined the Gaunt Shack more closely. They could taste the curses Voldemort had whispered years ago. Both of them wished to inspect further but it was dark by then and they agreed to a fresh start in the morning.

They slept downstairs on the luxurious red sofas in the great room they'd entered first. Above them hung the portrait of the Riddles and with the moonlight shining right onto the painting through the window Ginny felt as if they really had returned as ghosts to haunt them.

"So what do you think? There's definitely a Permanent Sticking Charm on it."

"I don't know what to think. It's up there on a pedestal. I would've thought he would've burned the whole place down at some point just so nobody could live here."

Remus sat down on the floor beside the sofa she lay on and grasped her hand. Ginny smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Maybe that's it then. I bet he felt that if he couldn't live a good life there, no one else could. Just a simple reminder to everyone who attempted to live there of the those that died there."

Ginny nodded. "A more passive route than I'm used to hearing but it makes sense oddly. Hm."

Tom Riddle didn't put a Permanent Sticking Charm on that portrait to boast. He put it there so that people would leave. If he couldn't enjoy the luxury of the Riddle mansion with his family because of his barking Muggle father than no one could. The reminder that someone, a whole family, was murdered in that home with no way to remove that reminder…it would send anyone packing. Voldemort is fearsome snake but Ginny would not underestimate his desire for revenge. On everyone.


	37. Moony

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Chapter 37 - Moony

Allowing themselves to sleep in just a bit, Ginny and Remus, with wands in hand, made their way cautiously to the Gaunt Shack around eleven in the morning. They waved to Frank as they passed. He returned a slight nod and continued trimming his shrubs.

They stopped solidly at a ten foot radius from the shack. As they could last night, they felt a thick band of protective magic. It was a wonder to Ginny that the Muggles Frank had mentioned had not immediately fled the place, even if they didn't know what the cringing feeling in their hands and feet meant. But she and Remus knew. It meant curses and from what Ginny suspected, there were many of them.

Remus turned around with his back facing the Shack and whispered "_Homenum revelio_." Nothing happened. "We don't want anyone spying on us." he explained.

"_Repello Muggletum_" Ginny said. "_Muffliato_."

"What's that?"

She answered him as she added a few more spells that she had learned from her father. "Anyone who walks by won't be able to her anything we say. They'll only be able to hear a very annoying buzzing. Trust me, it's been used against me before. It's awful. But it works."

Remus raised his brows. "Clever."

"It was Sna- Harry… who found it in a book." Ginny felt for the bag around her waist and knew the very book she spoke of was in her possession. She looked at Remus to see if he'd caught her slip up but if he had he made no notice over it.

"So how do you want to begin?'' he asked once she'd finished. They were now within two layers of protection, one behind them, good and one behind them, evil.

"Let's just see what kind of protection is here." And before Remus could stop her, she held up her wand and called out, "_Diffindo_!'' The yellow light jetted toward the door where she aimed and reflected back. Both she and Remus ducked, hitting the ground hard. It bounced off the protective shell they'd created behind themselves and it continued to bounce until eventually losing its intensity and fizzling away.

"Ginny, we've got to be more careful," Remus said, standing up and holding his hand out to her to help her up but she ignored him.

"Gin, you alright?'' he asked, momentarily worried that she'd been hit by her own spell.

"Yes come take a look at this," she said urgently. Again, Remus dropped to all fours and directed his gaze where Ginny pointed for him. "What do you see?''

With his face against the ground and his eyes looking toward the shack he could see a small dark film maybe an inch from the ground. Below this film, the grass was brighter and more focused to Remus's eye. Above it the grass and shack was grayer, a phenomenon he had originally attributed to the tall dark trees. He looked back up to a gleaming Ginny. "There's a weakness to his protective spell.''

Ginny nodded. "He was only sixteen or seventeen when he made these enchantments. Either he forgot to seal the bottom with the ground, which seems unlike him, or he thought the enchantment was so great he could do without. It's a pig headed thing of him but it's extremely part of his character."

"But we can't get under it unless we transfigured one another into snakes." Remus paused. "Fitting, though, wouldn't it be?"

"That would be but I'm sure there are layers to his protective spells. He might not have sealed this one in the hope someone would do just that and get hurt between this enchantment and the next further in.

"So how does this help us?''

During her stay at Aunt Muriel's Ginny had to help her brothers and father put the Fidelius Charm over the establishment. The requirements to do the spell called for a completely unprotected home. But at the time, Muriel's home already had a shell of protective enchantments around it. So instead of disarming the enchantments already in place, Arthur Weasley unsealed the bottom of the enchantment bubble and taught his children to lift the bubble high enough above the house so that its magical atmosphere did not affect the placement of the Fidelius. Lifting it, instead of removing it completely, allowed them to drop it instantly if there were a problem and would resume its protection of the home.

"So we can lift the dome of the enchantment?'' Remus asked.

"No,'' Ginny replied making for a confused Remus. "We could only lift it if we didn't need this outer layer of protection.'' She gestured to the one they'd just erected behind them. "And on top of that we'd have to hold it up long enough to destroy the layers in between. That's a huge amount of power that even you and I together don't have."

''Not to mention we don't want to get trapped inside it," Remus said, nodding. "So that was no help."

Ginny continued to think however. "We can chip away at it though. My dad taught me a few things about disarming curses. It was part of his job at the Ministry."

"He was a curse-breaker?''

Ginny shifted. "Of sorts." Remus gave her a questioning glance. "He was Head of the office for the Detection and Confiscation of counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects."

"A mouthful. But bloody useful now."

"Somewhat. It was more about finding fake or cursed Sneakascopes and what not. But he was a bit more inventive with his spell work. My brother Bill was a curse breaker. What I learned from both of them will be helpful."

She remembered watching the protective dome that the staff of Hogwarts had built to cover the castle just prior to the Battle of Hogwarts be destroyed by the sole power of Lord Voldemort. The large blue-white beam of light that deteriorated every magical defense the teachers could erect had exploded from darkness, where, she would soon learn, a great part of Voldemort's army waited entrance to the grounds in order to kill everyone they could.

Neither she nor Remus had that sort of power, not even combined.

"My dad and brother taught me in sensitive situations it is far safer to use many, small spells to break a curse instead of one very large one which can create back fires and be seriously dangerous. We can lift it enough to hit the enchantments we've put above it. And after time, it'll crack."

Remus thought. "So instead of destroying it with one very powerful spell it'll be like hitting it over and over with many, less powerful spells. Teach me how to lift it."

"Well that's the thing. We only hovered the dome when I learned how. I think we'll need more height than that. We've got to make sure we lift it high enough to tap the outer shell."

"So we use _Levioso_ and lift it as high as we can," Remus said readying his wand.

Ginny moved maybe ten yards away, maybe a quarter of the away around the shack. She held up her wand and nodded to Remus. She took a breath.

"_Levioso_," they called simultaneously.

The dome lifted very slowly and with as much force as the two of them could handle, they barely had it smack the upper dome with a small _CRACK! _They dropped their wands and let the dome fall. The force it produced in the ground made them take a step or two back.

When she'd regained her composure, Ginny inspected the dome closely, even too closely for Remus's liking but he remained silent so he would not alarm her. She knelt down and examined the fringe of open space at the bottom.

"I think we need to do it a few more times. This may take a while."

And that's what they did. They spent the morning repeating the spell and by lunchtime they were exhausted. Remus conjured the sandwiches they'd made earlier from the Riddle kitchen and they sat in the grass. The protection was only beginning to be visibly weakened. Ginny explained what she'd witnessed happen to the enchantment that protected Hogwarts and he could understand her frustration. Even when he compared himself to James or even Ginny herself he felt less powerful. Knowing someone could flick his wand at something this powerful and make it disappear was hugely demoralizing.

It would probably take them days, weeks even, to destroy this enchantment.

Frustration began to well slowly in Remus after they finished lunch and saw only minor improvements as the day passed. Surprisingly, Ginny was more calm than he was.

"This is taking too long," he complained close to sun down. They were tired and hungry but relentless.

Ginny sighed. "I know. I just haven't got any other ideas. It's working," she said, identifying a hairline crack that had formed from the top of the dome and extended to about her eye level. "But at this pace, we won't get anything accomplished."

"There has got to be a way to speed this up." Remus turned away from Ginny and pointed his wand at the dome. "_Alarte acsendare!_"

The enchantment flew upwards and crashed into the shield above it hard. But it smashed right back into the ground with a force that lifted both Remus and Ginny off their feet. They flew backwards and slammed into the shield behind them, then slid to the ground.

Remus rubbed the throbbing that he felt coming from the back of his head. He sat, in plenty of pain, with his back leaning up against the shield. He looked over at Ginny. She was gingerly attempting to stand up and brush the dirt off the butt of her jeans.

"You alright?" he asked. She turned to him and nodded. "That was stupid." He stood, stretching out his back.

"Yea," she replied. Ginny examined the tiny crack that had been there before as she pressed her thumbs into her lower back. "Or maybe not. Remus look!"

He was by her side in a sec. He allowed his face to be inches away from Voldemort's cursed dome and he could almost feel the Dark energy radiating from it. But the hairline crack that had been stubbornly thin all day was at least an inch wide. If he dared, he could probably poke a finger through it and be unharmed.

Ginny's grin was so wide and the red sun that was about to dip below the horizon hit her hair so that it brightened even the darkest corners of the woods.

There were moments when Remus looked at Ginny, his girlfriend, and had an overwhelming urge to snog her senseless. This happened to be one of those particular moments.

However, Ginny, as always, was one step ahead of him and she was rushing him, planting her lips on top of his. He lifted her up, lost his balance and they both hit the ground again. They moved so that she laid half on top of him and when he looked up at her the sunlight made a glowing halo around her.

"You're brilliant," she told him.

"As you are beautiful. I think we've had enough for the day. Let's go eat."

They spent the next few days using this more aggressive strategy. They transfigured stems of grass into mattresses and lined them around the perimeter of their protective shield and laid them down on the ground too. So instead of flying back and hitting what felt like a concrete wall, they bounced lightly into a mattress and fell quite safely onto another below them.

It took some time but with patience they were able to disarm the layer of Dark protection around the Shack.

Meanwhile, they spent their evenings in a much more subdued and relaxed setting. They spent the first night for supper with Frank from whom they learned that he'd accepted, long before their arrival, the existence of magic. It was the only way he could explain to himself the tragic ending of the Riddles' life, as loathe he was to truly believe it.

But not too long after the deaths of the Riddles did Frank witness an event he would never forget. It was merely days after the tragedy and Frank had been in and out of questioning. He had been tired and depressed and terribly worried about his future. The police did not believe his story of watching a young man climb the hill between the Gaunt Shack and the mansion in the middle of the night or of the mysterious bright green light he saw in the window. The first night he was allowed home he trekked the path that the boy had walked but in the opposite direction.

The altercation was one between Morfin Gaunt, the malicious being he'd known from town, and two official looking men in long draping robes. Frank hid behind a tree, not wanting to be seen for fear of being beaten for being a murderer like some townspeople threatened. Whatever had happened just previously he was unsure but it apparent that the younger Gaunt was being taken from his home and so a small spark of hope set in Frank. He continued to watch.

"My father is going to kill me for losing the bloody ring," Gaunt said, crazed. He continued to repeat the same sentiment in a loud ongoing mumble.

The official that was holding Gaunt with his hands behind his back grimaced. "What the hell is he on about?"

"I haven't any idea. Doesn't matter though does it? He's mad." He lifted a thin wooden stick and pointed it at Gaunt's face. "_Silencio__._" And immediately Gaunt was silenced. He continued to speak. It was clear that he was unaware that he was no longer producing sound.

That alone was simply enough for Frank to believe in magic. It shocked him of course. Took him days to believe what he'd actually seen. But eventually he did. And after all these years it was finally confirmed.

The other nights for supper, Remus and Ginny had decided since they had it, they would make use of the large kitchen in the Riddle mansion. They cooked simple meals well enough and always cooked together. It was during this time that they really felt like a couple. They joked and teased one another. They worried over their friends together.

They remained sleeping in the living room even though the sofas were too regal to be comfortable. Bringing themselves to sleep in bedrooms upstairs was impossible. Although there were many rooms, none had two beds in it and they were too paranoid separately to sleep apart. But they were still just uncomfortable enough to agree that they didn't wish to sleep in the same bed. And besides, kissing by the light of the living room fireplace was romantic anyways. They were so engrossed in one another they found it difficult to leave the sanctuary of the mansion to greet the worry of death or madness that came with proximity to the Gaunt Shack.

It was in the afternoon when they could no longer detect any lingering piece of the dome.

Ginny stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. He asked her something that had been on his mind for a while. "Why do you think the Muggles could walk right through his enchantment? Frank said they all touched the shack before being affected by any curses. But we could feel the danger straight away."

She thought for a moment and he studied her features and how her nose scrunched up the tiniest bit as she pondered his question. "Maybe Voldemort was less concerned with what Muggles could do. He was more occupied with keeping wizards out because of the potential we have to destroy his Horcrux. But to trick us he made the shield so that Muggles could pass through unharmed so an unthinking wizard might think so as well."

"But then why do we feel it? The enchantment was potent I wouldn't have dared walk across it." Remus took a safe step forward, passed where the dome had once blocked them.

"What are your suspicions?''

Remus held her hand as they took another step forward. "I think we are familiar with the feeling of Dark Magic. Sad isn't it?"

A solemn expression glazed over Ginny's features. Sliding into the crook of Remus's arm, she sighed. "I pray to Merlin our children don't become familiar with darkness like we have." Remus wondered if she meant their children together or separately. His head spun at thought of having children with her. If it was even possible for him.

"Me too," was all he replied.

They found that the next layer of protection was the shack itself, where the Muggles had felt their fates. Neither of them dare touch it for fear of madness. They also rightfully kept their distance.

"My brother always used to tell me that curse breaking was terrifying unless you knew what you were doing."

"And?"

"And he was right."

"Well that's comforting."

Facing the house, they brainstormed.

"Maybe it's a good idea if we look for another weakness. Like you said, he was seventeen or so when he made the curses. Maybe there will be another," Remus suggested and Ginny agreed. "Just stand back Ginny," Remus instructed, holding a palm back to her. "The very last thing we need is you going mad."

Ginny obediently stood back, allowing the bravery of her boyfriend to shine through. A month earlier she would have taken this instruction as a bothersome act to keep her safe when all she wanted to do was fight. Now however she blushed at Remus's chivalry.

Cautiously, Remus approached the shack, his wand raised. He searched for any kind of weakness and Ginny watched with her heart in her stomach. After he'd finish inspecting a certain section, say, from the front door to the window beside it, he'd tell her it was full proof. And finally he had concluded after inspecting the circumference of the Shack that Voldemort's spell held with no weaknesses.

"What the hell should we do then? I'm too afraid to attack it. We'll both be mad by sundown," Ginny said and Remus gave her a meaningful look to which she returned an apologetic one. The full moon was that evening.

"We should attempt Spell Loosening," Remus said.

"Loosening?'' Ginny asked. She'd never heard of it before, which in her experience was rather unusual. "What is that?"

"It's a sort of dissolving technique. You have to loosen the bonds of the curse to break it apart without much repercussion. We can loosen the bonds of the curse without getting ourselves hurt. We just need to be extremely gentle."

Ginny understood. This must be the type of curse that aggression would be no good against. Like oxygen to a flame, an aggressive strategy would cause the curse to react offensively in order to maintain itself. That could potentially more dangerous than merely touching the front door.

"I just worry that as gentle as we may be, loosening this curse could be horrible as well. Because honestly, if Frank had said nothing about those Muggles, I wouldn't have realized there was a curse at all. It's hugely well concealed. It's darkness is not nearly as potent as the last was."

If Dumbledore was able to bypass this curse, Ginny thought, she knew she and Remus could too.

"_Solvena cursus_. That's the enchantment. You have to draw your wand back slowly and fluidly in many directions."

"Like picking apart the pieces of the curse," Ginny nodded.

They were happily surprised that not only was Remus's assumption about loosening the curse correct but the more gentle they worked at it, the more quickly the curse faded and tore apart. Ginny's spirits lifted. Once they were inside it wouldn't take long to find the ring. She twisted the copy ring she wore around her finger. Nearly two horcruxes gone. At this rate she'd have time to spare. Just as the sky was turning orange and red, they knew they'd succeeded in removing the curse.

Remus opened the door, free of harm. He turned back to Ginny and grinned. She walked forward and pecked him on the lips. He sighed, at first happily, but then wearily. '"I have to go. Nearly sundown." He stepped passed her back toward the woods, away from town. "Please promise me you won't go looking for me. I've taken my potion," he assured her, "I'll be fine."

"But if you've taken the potion then you'll be in your right – "

"No amount of potion would make me comfortable to have you there. I'll be sleeping it off any ways. Remus said firmly. "Promise. I won't risk it."

''I promise," she told him.

He closed the door to the shack with his wand and looked pointedly at her. "And wait until tomorrow to search this place for the ring. "I don't know what sort of spells Voldemort's put in there. Promise me you will wait. Promise," he said again.

"I promise."

* * *

Ginny ate dinner alone that evening, doing nothing but pensively chewing and worrying about Remus. She tried to keep her promise to Remus, busying herself with cooking meticulously, eating slowly and concentrating on each bite. She washed and rewashed every plate, pan, and glass she'd used. She tried reading but quickly got bored. Practicing spells seemed useless after the first quarter of an hour and the Riddle mansion, at least the parts they used, were clean.

She became desperate for distraction. The only thing she could think of was to explore the shack and look for the ring. Dressing quickly and slowing her wand in her sleeve, she made her way off the Riddle grounds and over to the shack. She felt guilty simply walking there but once she was inside she was properly distracted, if not by the prospect of finding the ring then by the horrible feeling she got being there in the middle of the night.

The inside of the Gaunt Shack was a rotting dump. It smelled awful. There were old rags, torn rugs, and snake bones littering the floor. The walls had ripping and peeling wallpaper. Truly, the shack looked as if someone had been in the middle of a very comfortable yet disgusting lifestyle and had just picked up and left everything behind.

Which in fact, was very close to what had happened, now that she thought of it.

The living room, kitchen, and foyer were combined into one large room so that when Ginny looked to her right two small ragged sofas sat around a broken table and to her left a reeking kitchen with a dining table with a bowl of mold at one of the seats. Directly before her was a short hall with a few doors.

Loathe to begin in the gag-inducing kitchen, Ginny went right into the living area to search for the ring. She used her wand as often as possible so that she didn't have to touch anything. She picked apart everything, from tearing open sofa cushions to dismembering the table. She did not find it in the living room and moved throughout the rest of the shack.

She searched for hours, taking apart every inch of every room. Unfortunately it was just passed midnight when she gave up. The ring could not be there. Weeks of frustration drained from her. But she was sure Harry's memory noted that it was here where Dumbledore found the ring. She whipped her wand, hard, wanting to hurt the shack for not holding the on item she desperately needed to destroy. She gauged a hole into the wall with the force and the wood flew in and hit the floor, making a quite unusual hollow sound that reverberated across the room.

Ginny walked across the room with heavy steps and knelt to the ground, pushing away the chunks of wood that had fallen. She knocked on the floor. Hollow. She knocked in a different area. It sounded cold… "_Diffindo_," she said easily and the wooden floor board cracked easily. She removed the pieces and was agape at what she found underneath. With her wand she lifted an ornate box made of steel or iron with a distinct wrought decoration that reminded her of the filigree that was curled into the design of her Aunt Muriel's tiara. Clearly, the box was goblin made.

She dropped it in her hands and tried to open it, with no luck. But she stowed it away in her pack, securely, more than satisfied. The ring was inside the box, she knew. Although she could not see it, she could feel it deep in her bones, a horrifying familiarity she'd recognized when they'd found the diadem.

A sharp howl pierced the silence of the night and Ginny stood upright. She froze. The howl had come from just outside. Whatever he'd been doing, Remus had definitely not been "sleeping it off."

Ginny slowly crept outside to find Remus a few yards from the front door, having just looked in and spying her inside. He stepped backwards as she walked forward. He backed into a tree and rolled himself into a ball, quite controlled but clearly livid with her. She could see it in his eyes.

She stood quite frozen maybe ten yards away from the beast that she loved. He sat rather still away from anything that looked threatening but he looked at her with a disconcerting mixture of fear and anger. The smallest whine came from him and then a sharp growl followed, making her pump.

"What on earth?"

Spinning around, Ginny found Frank with a flash light in hand, jaw dropped in awe, and staring wide-eyed at Remus. "You need to go back home," she urged.

"What is that?!" he asked fearfully and the loudness made Remus startle. "What have you two been hiding out here? Some kind of magical creature?" he asked bordering on angry. Frank took a few paces back and directed his light at Remus. His eyes flinched with the light and he whimpered.

"Stop that!" She flicked her wand and the flash light flew from his hand. Frank looked affronted and dearly shocked. It was the first time they'd used magic around him. ''The light hurts his eyes," she explained, trying to be apologetic.

"'His?' You mean... that's him. That's Cedric? He's a... werewolf?" It took Ginny a moment to register that Frank knew Remus as Cedric.

"He's harmless. He's taken potion. Just let him sleep through the night."

"He isn't sleeping now. He was howling, probably woke half the town."

"Please, we can both explain this tomorrow," she pleaded. But Frank had probably already noted her own fear of him and recognized a danger.

Frank shook his head, backing away. "You must leave. You are a danger to this neighborhood and though the Riddles were not my fault the next ones certainly will be if I allow you to stay," he nodded at Remus. "Knowing what he is…I can't do it. Be gone by tomorrow morning."

* * *

** An extra-long chapter for the extra-long waits. Hope you enjoyed.**


	38. The Patronus's Testament

**Thanks to: ctc, MuggleCreator, Blue Luver5000, Jessica682, da49, Lady Gwynned, EvansGinnLilu, midnightRain3445, Roza11, and Paranoid and Dysfunctional for reviewing and favoriting!**

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* * *

Chapter 38 – The Patronus's Testament

The tenseness in the Riddle living room the next morning could be chopped into chunks and thrown into a stew it was so thick. Ginny felt even worse than she had when Remus had thought she'd fallen for Regulus and had been ignoring her. Remus packed their things, grunting every other time he shoved a magically shrunken book into a pocket or a piece of clothing into a bag. Quietly sitting on the edge of the sofa with her hands folded in her lap, Ginny studied the long gashes on his blank face. They were dark and clearly had been deep and Ginny wondered what he'd done to himself after she'd brought Frank home and obliviated him. Remus had not allowed her to help tend to his wounds when he arrived back at dawn. During those long few hours Ginny had remained awake, waiting for him. He'd begun packing their things without a word once he'd magicked some bandages over the worst of them. Hours later, he was nearly done packing and he'd still not said anything to her, regardless of her apologies.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said again, this time more firmly, although she felt like she spoke to a wall. Remus grunted in reply, which turned out to be the most acknowledgment she'd received all morning. "Will you please talk to me? Please tell me what you're thinking, I can't take this silence."

Remus turned on her. "I want to know what _you_ were thinking, last night, when you were scavenging the shack, when I specifically told you not to. I asked you to stay here!" he exclaimed pointing to the ground. "You promised and you deliberately disobeyed me. Not only that, but you allowed Frank to follow you there!"

"I know, I was trying to sleep and I couldn't and I figured I'd try to distract myself and I'm sorry," she replied, almost desperately. She searched his eyes for sympathy but found none. "I found the Horcrux," she said hopefully, offering the box.

He gazed at it almost curiously, and took it from her hands. He inspected it for a long moment then turned slowly away from her. He walked toward the table and slammed it down hard, making a loud _bang!_ which startled Ginny. Remus turned back to Ginny as if he'd never seen the box in the first place. He resumed packing, without another word.

"Remus I'm sorry! I don't know what else to say."

"I don't think you understand the meaning of the word 'sorry,' Ginny!" he yelled, throwing down the bag which he had begun filling with her things.

Ginny took a calming breath and stood. "I already feel horrible enough, you don't have to lecture me."

"Lecture you? I will lecture you if I bloody feel like lecturing you, Ginny Weasley," he bellowed, shocking Ginny to a seated position once more. "Horcruxes. You know about horcruxes. So I don't question you. I listen to what you say and follow it because I understand that you know best when it comes to looking for them. I don't even say anything when you catch yourself in lie when you're trying to keep something about the future from me. I know you're doing it for a reason. But I'll be damned if I don't lecture you on going outdoors when you know there's a goddamn _werewolf_ out during a full moon. Because _that_ is what I know. I know the consequences of being a werewolf. I know that Wolfsbane is a temperamental potion and we're damn lucky that it was especially potent last night. I know that I am not like your brother, I was not just scratched!" He leaned into her and his hands grasped her arms forcefully. "_I am a werewolf,_" he said and she felt that truth now looking into his eyes even more than she had the evening before_._ "Do you know how easily I could've killed either of you?"

Ginny let her mouth fall open as if to say something but she remained speechless. Remus breathed deep and sat beside her, burying his face in his hands. "The meaning of sorry Ginny is so beyond your imagination. Do you know how _sorry_ I would've been if I knew that it'd been I that did that to you? Sorry doesn't even begin to explain…"

He trailed off, kissed her forehead, stood, and continued packing. Ginny helped him now, both in silence, until they finished and Apparated away together.

They made camp just outside a Muggle town far on the outskirts of the country so that they could concentrate in relative peace. In the town, they shopped for food that they cooked over an open flame that Remus conjured every evening. They were protected by a few simple spells that Ginny put up. Without a tent, they slept side by side beneath the night sky. Ginny stayed put for the next few nights of the full moon but was glad to have Remus back at night when the moon became lightly lemon shaped once more.

Remus did not bring up the shack incident again and Ginny left it alone. He seemed to forgive her now that he had expressed such a fear of hurting her, but at night when they kissed it reminded her of Harry's kisses and how their needy forcefulness showed an obvious fear of loss.

They spent their days trying to open the box with no success. No spells, charms, or even curses opened it. In fact, it still looked good as new, protected somehow from everything they could think of. After they'd tried everything, Ginny figured opening the box had something to do with Parseltongue. She remembered that was the only way to open the Chamber of Secrets and recalled from Harry's memories that was how he'd opened Slytherin's locket. A couple weeks of trying to open the box passed and Ginny had lost some hope in how quickly they would find and destroy the horcruxes. She was on the verge of suggesting they leave and head for Hogwarts, as loathe as she was to actually go. They needed Dumbledore's help and if they were to move on to the other horcruxes, they needed not to be wasting time trying to destroy this one.

"Why don't we just move on and look for another? We can take this one along with us and figure out what to do with it along the way," Remus suggested one evening. They were at the Muggle town's local coffee shop sitting in the back corner, sipping from warm mugs. They held hands.

"Because I think we'll have to break into a Death Eater's home and that puts this Horcrux at risk. We cannot lose it."

Remus raised his brows. "Break into…who's?"

Ginny shrugged. "Either the Lestrange's or the Malfoy's. Although Malfoy seems hugely less intimidating. There's something about the Lestrange Manor that irks me."

"Bellatrix," Remus reasoned with a chuckle and Ginny smiled.

"Woman is mad. Even worse after more than a decade in Azkaban. But I don't want to cart around a Horcrux in front of Death Eaters. It could be stolen or lost and then we'll never be able to find it again. I'd rather have it destroyed and we need help to do that obviously."

"Then Hogwarts it is. I expect you'll want to waste no time."

They paid their bill and headed back toward the clearing in the woods nearby on the other side of town. They circled around the fountain at the center of the small town as the sun was setting. They spoke softly of other things, just to have a bit of normalcy. Where they were, everything seemed normal. Voldemort's reach had not extended so far and the quiet nearly lulled Ginny into a sense of security, like it all went away. It was a pity they needed to leave so soon. She could almost forget her responsibilities and just live a life with Remus here. But they needed to leave tonight.

The woods were not thick enough to block out the orange and red light of the sun but provided enough cover to be invisible from onlookers on the forest's edge. As they got deeper they expected darkness to envelope them. But when they reached the center of the clearing that they'd made their temporary home they found a bright gallant lion, shimmering.

"Regulus…" Ginny breathed. Once they'd stopped walking, still hand in hand, it turned to them as if it had been waiting simply for their arrival. The lion spoke with their friend's voice.

"_Dorcas Meadows is dead. Voldemort murdered her himself. Her body was found in her home." _The lion paused, as if bracing itself for the next piece of information it was about to impart, or perhaps to allow them a moment to comprehend that a fellow Order member was dead. It bowed its head. "_Caradoc Dearborn has been missing for three weeks. We hope to find his body soon." _Again, the lion took a beat before continuing. "_Whether by purpose or by mistake, Death Eaters have begun targeting members of the Order. We fear they may be instigating a Giant War and if that happens, the Ministry will have hell on their hands between trying to protect our secrecy and protecting families from Death Eaters. Dumbledore says they're doing this with the purpose of ousting those that are working against him. Aurors will be extremely busy and the Order will need to be considerably more active, making it clear to Death Eaters who we are. _

"_Lily and James have already fought Voldemort once more and it's no doubt they're considered targets. But you must remain incognito. Your invisibility will be your greatest weapon and ally. The less they know of you, the less they will be concerned with you. I beg of you to not engage in duels unless you must. Hogwarts is not safe: Dumbledore is sure there are students in the employ of their Death Eater parents. You must stay away from Death Eaters. You must remain hidden at all costs. People are untrusting and I advise you be just as vigilant."_

The lion evaporated and the clearing was dark. The sun had set.

Disbelief and shock enveloped them both. Regulus had made it clear that Hogwarts was not an option. If they tried to go to Dumbledore, they would lose the gift of anonymity they'd somehow been granted.

So much had happened since they'd been away. It felt as though she and Remus had been on a floating cloud, in love and living on the run, even if they were hunting horcruxes along the way. She thought of Lily and James and wondered how they'd managed to escape him this time. And how had they escaped and Dorcas not? She'd been older, more experienced than most of the Order members.

Ginny remembered how she felt when Mad-Eye had been killed and she felt even worse now. Then, she'd known Mad-Eye had the serenity of death. Caradoc being missing was most disturbing of all. Regulus's hope that they specifically find his body, not him alive, was unsettling. Missing meant his body hadn't been found and that it was very possible he was still alive. They could be torturing him at that very moment for information. Ginny thought of Alice and Frank and what had happened to them and prayed to Merlin that Caradoc was dead. She had never liked him, but there was difference between her distaste of Caradoc Dearborn and her eternal abhorrence of Bellatrix Lestrange and every other Death Eater. Ginny sat on the ground where she normally would begin lying out her sleeping bag and Remus sat beside her.

"We need a new plan, Gin. I don't think we have a choice anymore, we need to find the other horcruxes and we'll have to take this one with us. Regulus wouldn't warn us without reason."

"I can't believe they've fought him again already," she said, hardly listening to Remus. "And Dorcas, gone. It feels like everything is happening so quickly."

"Ginny, I know you said we have to go to the Malfoy's or the Lestrange's but Regulus said we should stay away. He's right. The only reason we're not being chased is because we've stayed out of sight."

Gathering her wits, she leaned into Remus and kissed him. "We can't stay out of sight for long. We have to go, they have two of the Horcruxes. We need to go." She stood and held out her hand to him.

"You mean now?" he asked and stood. Ginny nodded.

Ginny knew the town the Malfoy mansion was in and thought of the name very clearly in her mind before Apparating. Although night had fallen, it didn't take them very long to find Malfoy Manor, a large domineering building with an impressively tall brick wall surrounding it.

"There's a gate over there," Ginny said apprehensively and Remus shook his head, illustrating her own feelings.

"We can't exactly knock at the front door. We've got to get over the wall somehow," Remus said. He walked along the wall's perimeter studying its properties. He lifted his hand to the wall and removed it in a moment, although Ginny couldn't see why. "I don't think we should use magic." Ginny held up her wand to a red brick and instantly felt like electricity shot through her wand arm. A small spark emanated from where her wand tip had made contact with the brick.

"I definitely don't think we should use magic.

"But how are we going to get over this wall without it? Isn't there somewhere we can climb?" They both looked up at the intimidating height.

"Doubtful. Clearly, the Malfoy's aren't a very welcoming family," Ginny said flatly.

"Too true. I'll have to boost you up. Think if you get on my shoulders you'll be able to pull yourself over?"

Ginny stopped. "But how will you get in? I can't lift you from that high up."

"I'll figure it out. But we don't have much time, I'd rather get out of here sooner rather than later. You can have a head start. Besides, I don't even know what the diary looks like. And I can signal you from here if there trouble. Here, take the Cloak." Remus wrapped the Invisibility Cloak around her and she vanished.

Remus felt hands on his shoulders. He held out his palms face up and felt an invisible foot step into them. Lighter than he'd anticipated, he easily pushed her upward toward to wall. He felt a foot on his shoulder for only a moment before Ginny pushed herself up and all invisible pressure left him.

He gave a quick wave, wondered if she'd looked back to see it, and then left to scale the wall for another way to get in.

* * *

Ginny wasn't sure how she felt about splitting up but she knew that for now, this was the only idea they had. From her perch at the top of the wall she saw him wave and then travel down the wall. She didn't like the idea that if there was trouble he'd have to direct attention toward himself, especially because he didn't have the Cloak.

She looked on the other side of the wall and thankfully there were bushes she could fall into from this height. The strong fabric of the Cloak protected her because before she'd realized, she'd dropped right into the thorny clutches of rose bushes. _White roses,_ she thought, _the ones they have at funerals. How fitting._

Quickly yet quietly she disentangled herself from the bush, hoping no one saw the bush sporadically moving of their own accord. But she didn't see many windows on this side of the Manor and used that to her advantage.

She kept herself up against the wall of the house, peaking in every window, looking for a study or a library. It didn't take her very long. The third window she glanced into had a wall of books along the opposite wall. With her wand, she unlocked and lifted the window quietly, crawling silently inside.

Lucius Malfoy's study looked as prestigious and vile as the man made himself out to be on a regular basis. Silver moldings of snakes slithered within the dark wooden crown molding and footboard. Everything wooden had unique hand-carved artwork, from the frames on the walls of the portraits to the wooden back of the tall chair at the grotesquely large desk. A dark green carpet lied itself on the floor.

The portraits, of whom she assumed were Lucius's ancestors, were asleep and Ginny planned to keep it that way. Ginny first inspected the bookshelves. Though Lucius prided himself on his intelligence and novelty his personal library was small and rather childish. What she had originally thought were books were merely trinkets or decoration. None of the books that were present however, were bound with a black leather cover and those that she picked up all had pages covered in words. It didn't take much time to examine all of his books. She glanced around the study. His desk was clean of anything but a cup of quills and an unlit lamp. She let her hand run over its smooth wooden surface.

She slipped her wand from her sleeve.

"Accio diary," she said with a flick of her wand and the bottom desk drawer began to shudder horribly. She crouched, holding it tightly to dampen the noise. The portraits remained in their slumber. The drawer was locked. She knew a simple _Alohamora_ would not conquer the lock and Ginny's eyes scanned the room for a hiding spot, hoping beyond hope Lucius had not harbored the habit of carrying it with him. She found on one of the shelves a trinket box made of what looked like paper mâché. Heavy in her hands, she lifted the lid lightly and among a mishmash of things a bronze key lay.

With some excitement she hurried over to the desk with the key. It fit inside and slowly she turned it, praying to Merlin it would not stop. But it didn't and the desk drawer opened.

On top were papers from the Ministry. Hearing papers and crimes papers that were for Death Eaters, never to be seen again by the Ministry, long forgotten. Crimes that would disappear. Ginny dug past them carefully so as to not alter their order or appearance. At the bottom of the drawer was a diary. A leather bound brown journal. Not the Horcrux. As curious as she was to read into the everyday ponderings of Lucius Malfoy she was disappointed. She gently returned everything to the drawer and the key to its box and back on the shelf.

"Accio Horcrux."

Nothing happened.

Frustrated, she exited the study and crept slowly into the corridor, making sure it was clear before committing.

She followed the wall closely, looking around her at every moment to make sure no one was around.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny heard a rather angry, yet frightened voice call and her breath caught, fear seeped into her center. She'd been seen.

"To see you of course," another voice answered. "You are expecting aren't you? I wanted to congratulate you. Give some big sisterly advice since we both know Bellatrix will be no help."

"It was foolish of you to come without first advising me. You're too lucky Lucius is out and Bellatrix isn't here."

Ginny took a chance look around the corner of the wall and saw a beautiful lady, whom she recognized to be Narcissa Malfoy. She also saw the back of another woman, who she would've at first impression believed to be Bellatrix Lestrange with her dark unruly hair if Narcissa hadn't said otherwise. Simply then she deduced this was Andromeda, her other sister, by now married to Ted Tonks and with a toddler named Nymphadora.

"Luck hasn't anything to with it. I checked both were out of sight. Tell me, are you excited? When are you due?"

"I don't even know how you heard. But no it was merely a scare."

"I'm sorry to hear it. You're still trying I assume?"

Narcissa seemed truly upset that she had been having trouble conceiving. Andromeda murmured some comforting words to her younger sister. Ginny smiled. In a short while Narcissa would become pregnant with Draco. Though the woman would produce the horrid child that would one day torment Ginny and Harry and their friends, something about Narcissa, maybe her continued secret relationship with her sister, or her true sincerity over something Ginny had once thought of herself, made her happy that she would soon get her wish.

The sisters' conversation died away as they walked down the corridor. If they were on the other side of the mansion Ginny was nearly free to roam the opposite and that's where she went. Luck had graced her even if it had not yet touched Narcissa. Without Lucius and Bellatrix, this task would be so much easier.

Every door along the corridor was closed but one and upon scrutiny Ginny found that it led to a downward staircase. She snuck down slowly, making sure that her footsteps made no sound. The staircase was closed in by stone walls with a tall ceiling where floating candles fluttered with slight flames above her.

At the bottom of the staircase another door, wide open, invited her inside a dark room with many bookshelves along the walls. A large clean table made of marble dominated the center of the space. Right behind the workspace was an open cupboard with multiple cauldrons of various sizes and metals. On top were hundreds of vials, organized by size.

The room reminded her severely of the pain that potion making had been at Hogwarts. Whoever worked here was quite meticulous about order and cleanliness. Ginny closed the door behind her. In this hidden away study it was likely that the Horcrux could be hidden away here too.

There were no portraits on the walls so Ginny removed the invisibility cloak and laid it carefully on the table. A part of her felt disturbed in the room without the protection of the cloak and though she felt it coldly, she interpreted her discomfort as a good sign that the Horcrux was near.

She searched slowly and deliberately. There were many more books in this room, nearly all of them potions books, but several them were bound in black leather and resembled the diary Ginny had become so familiar with.

It might've been minutes or half of an hour when Ginny heard the footsteps and the door handle being turned. The cloak was too far for her to get to and she was right by the door. She extinguished the light at the tip of her wand and immersed herself in the dark corner by the door.

Ginny pressed her back against the wall so that she was as slim as possible, hopefully unnoticeable in the dark room. The steps came closer and she turned her face toward the door and gripped her wand with anticipation. Readying herself to hold her breath, the door inched open and she smelled the unmistakable odor of grease, sweat, and musty cauldrons.

The door had only opened a moment before the person stopped. "Who's there?" a snide voice asked. The person did not turn on the light but she sensed him passing her as they entered the room. She cursed herself for having taken off the cloak. Remaining silent, she inched herself along the wall toward the table where she'd left it. "Homenum revelio."

Ginny had made it right under the cloak just as a low swooping came over her. She dropped to the ground and pressed herself flat.

"Petrificus totalus!" The spell missed her, but narrowly. The lights flicked on by some nonverbal spell and she saw the menacing figure of Severus Snape towering over her.


	39. Snape's Confusion

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Chapter 39 – Snape's Confusion

Severus Snape's confused expression showed his expectation to see a frozen body on the floor. "Reveal yourself, intruder."

She had every intention to. "Expelliarmus!" she called and caught his wand when it flew into the air. She let the cloak slip from her form unnoticed as she stood. She realized instantly that, about six inches away, this was the closest she'd ever been to Snape, except for when he'd grabbed her at the Leaky Cauldron. Her forehead reached his nose and she looked straight up at him, into his eyes. His gaze was not of shock but rather annoyance, mostly with himself as if he should have known it was her. He grimaced.

"What are you doing in my lab?" he asked unpleasantly, looking down his nose at her.

"Why've you got a lab here? Is Spinner's End unfit to house your potions playroom, Snape?"

Snape took a sharp breath but remained composed. Stepping away from her, he walked around to his work table and lit a soft flame beneath a silver cauldron. He prepped his table to begin a potion as if she were not there at all. Curiously, she watched him.

"You've always had knack for potion making. But I do hope the one you're trying to make does not require a wand," she said tauntingly, holding up his wand and moving to stand in front him and his table. "But please enlighten me. Why have the Malfoy's afforded you workspace?"

"My Spinner's End abode is surrounded by purely Muggle dwellings. A proper potions laboratory requires the privacy that only wizards can accommodate," he answered, his concentration severe.

Ginny sneered. "Be comfortable in the fact that you, at the very least, _sound_ like a Death Eater," Ginny told him scathingly. "You're sure that isn't something they've just told you so they can keep an eye on what you brew for them? Enough Veritaserum and poisons. Surely you've thought of that."

Snape, never usually silent, paid explicitly extra attention to his potion.

Ginny found looking at him odd. His age took her off guard although it made it considerably easier to taunt him. She would not have dared utter a mocking word toward her potions professor when she knew him as a child. As he would be in his later years, Snape already had circles beneath his eyes and a reserved visage. But he was not wearing long billowing robes meant to intimidate new eleven year old students or barking at her with contempt. Snape, although severe, was still not yet hardened to hate and anger. She studied him for a bit longer before realizing the silence.

"Well since you're not asking me any questions or attempting to hex me, I'll ask my own questions," she said and she gained satisfaction from the way the corner of his lip curled downward. She leaned forward toward him. "Why did you hesitate to hex me that day in Cokeworth?"

Snape dropped the vile of lavender petals he held into the pot entirely and cursed. "How...how did you know I took us to Cokeworth?!"

"Answer me."

"You answer me!" he demanded pointing a finger at her desperately.

"Fine. I'm aware that both you and Lily Evans were born in Cokeworth. Truly, it was an educated guess. I know how you met her. She was affronted because you called her a witch and she didn't understand at the time." Snape grunted with frustration. Ginny scrapped the ruined potion with her wand and Snape began again, every movement deliberate and calculated. She could only imagine what he could be thinking. His inner most secrets, things he held deep in his heart, were being thrown back at him by some stranger. He must have thought that Lily didn't hold them as dear to her and spoke about it to this girl he didn't know. Truthfully, Lily hadn't spoken a word about Snape to Ginny once except to snap at her when Ginny had mentioned his name. "Well? You didn't hex me. You seemed to have been enjoying it the first time you cursed me. What stopped you even after you realized I wasn't Lily?"

"But you…you let me…you let me take your hand and Apparate us away from the Leaky Cauldron. As though you wanted to leave. And then you dragged it out and told me things. Things only I know. The whole fight was over before we returned. I don't understand it but… even now…why are you trying to keep me alive?"

Severus Snape truly was a brilliant man. Still a boy at this moment but his brain worked in ways Ginny's never would. Even now, she could see in his face the analysis his mind sifted through, trying to understand without the information required. Ginny knew she needed to relay a certain amount of information to Snape. Enough to scare him from talking to the Dark Lord, enough to keep him from following her or pursuing more. But not so much that he could use it against her, or tell another Death Eater to her detriment.

"You aren't like the other Death Eaters are you? You weren't raised to hate Muggles or Muggle-borns. You only hate one Muggle. The others you don't mind, at least not enough to kill. And Muggle-borns…we both know you have no prejudice there."

"What point are you attempting to make?" he asked through clenched teeth. He stirred the contents of the cauldron counterclockwise. Ginny understood now. Making potions calmed him. He actively was trying to keep his composure in order to listen to her.

"You are being sucked into something you have no desire or business being a part of. But you will stay anyways because of the pressure, the need. You seek to look impressive yet they keep you hidden in the basement. Someday soon you will have the opportunity to be thrust into greatness. And you'll regret it forever. It will be the biggest mistake of your life."

Snape swallowed, unsure whether he should share what was on his mind. "I've already made that mistake," he said, to Ginny's surprise. She prodded him to explain but instead of speaking he pulled back his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark burned into his skin. "There's nothing I can do to change what I've done."

"Or to get back what you lost. Or rather, who you lost." Snape glowered, aware that she knew what he'd really meant, confused as to how, and upset at his powerlessness to change it. "You're right. There's nothing you can do to change the choices you've made in the past. But you have control over the choices you make in the future."

"Choices you seem to already know I'll make before I've been presented the opportunity to mull them over," he said, bitter in his misunderstanding.

"Choices I am merely trying to change for the better."

"For who's better?"

Ginny knew that of all the many bad things Snape was – greasy, sneaky, cowardly – stupid was rarely one of them. Lovesick, however, was Snape's greatest weakness and Ginny would use it shamelessly to meet her needs.

"Lily's."

Snape stood straighter, if possible.

"My advice: when in doubt, close your mouth."

"How prophetic."

Ginny wondered if he recognized the irony in his expression. "More so than you know."

"If something I may decide to say in the future will cause your downfall, why not kill me now. You've the upper hand," he said, gesturing to her hands holding both her wand and his.

"Your potential to help is just as concrete as your power to destroy. And besides, it's refreshing to meet a Death Eater whose curiosity is great enough to curb an easy killing curse." She laid his wand gently before him on the table.

Snape studied her with his black eyes. She knew his discomfort came from his confusion over his loyalties and Ginny would continue pressing that button.

"Surely you didn't come all this way to immerse yourself in the pits of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers just to share with me your divine wisdom."

"You have a keen knack for analysis. It's what's made you such a ruthless potioneer. I came looking for something. A diary."

Snape turned his back on her to the cabinets, looking for another ingredient. "I hardly doubt the Dark Lord is soft enough to write his girlish musings down in a book. And even so it wouldn't be here."

_Not soft enough anymore_, Ginny added in her head. "I am searching for an _empty_ diary."

"The Three Broomsticks couldn't provide one for you?"

"I'm looking for one much more valuable. When you write in it…it speaks to you," she said like a school girl, in order to remain vague.

"Will you be asking it for advice?"

"No," she answered solidly, enough for him to remove his eyes from the cauldron to her. "I will be destroying it."

A hard rapping on the door rang throughout the room. Both of their heads turned toward the closed door of the potions lab. "Severus. Severus, I need your help."

His eyes widened at Ginny with steadfast distrust and wariness but also with protectiveness.

"One moment," he called.

"I haven't got a moment, please, I need to hide Andromeda. Lucius is here," Narcissa said urgently.

Without hesitation, Severus ran to the door, opened it and allowed inside Andromeda Tonks.

"Go Narcissa," Andromeda insisted, but Narcissa hesitated, unsure whether to remain with her sister or to greet her husband.

"Go!" Snape reinforced, clamping his hands on her shoulders and pivoting her toward the door. He gave her a slight push and closed the door behind her.

Snape turned to deal with Ginny only to find that he and Andromeda were alone.

* * *

Narcissa made her way up the stairs, a pot of boiling fear in the pit of her stomach. She heard Lucius calling out to her but she waited until she was clear of the cellar to respond.

"Good evening, darling," she greeted and he kissed her lightly. "How was work?"

"Delightful, as usual," he answered sarcastically. "The numbskulls at the Ministry will have us eating out of the hands of Muggles if we don't put a stop to it. Which is why I need to speak to Snape. He should be downstairs." Narcissa's heart dropped as Lucius removed his coat and hung it on the hook by the door. He made a beeline for the corridor.

"Can't you speak to him later? I'm sure he's very busy – "

"He'll be just as busy later, no reason to wait. I need a poison by tomorrow and I want him to have all night to perfect it," he said, walking gallantly.

Narcissa followed closely behind her husband, talking loudly in the hope Severus could find a way to hide Andromeda if he was aware they were coming. "What sort of poison do you need Lucius, darling?"

Just like Ginny's did, Snape's ears pricked at the sound of Narcissa's voice growing louder as she descended the stairs again. Ginny had hidden herself under the invisibility cloak while Severus wasn't looking. Andromeda's eyes widened at Severus and he opened his cupboard, looked behind his table, the dresser…but there was no proper place to hide a full grown woman. He wasn't very good at disillusionment charms.

"Narcissa, please stop hovering," they heard Lucius say just outside the door. The knob turned. Andromeda looked terrified.

Ginny inched to Andromeda, who kneeled behind Snape's potions table, slowly.

The door flew open and in the same moment, Ginny enveloped Andromeda with her beneath the cloak. She clamped her palm over the witch's mouth so she would not call out. "Sh," she said very quietly and removed her hand. Andromeda turned, and they made eye contact. She nodded silently, rather bewildered when Ginny held a finger to her lips.

Narcissa, standing behind her husband and out of his view, had eyes the size of a house elf's she was so shocked. Lucius shot glances around the room, clearly suspicious of his wife's behavior. Snape followed his gaze, and seeing nothing but his lab his countenance relaxed. Already behind his table, he casually picked up his wand and continued working on the potion as if nothing had transpired in the last five minutes but potion making.

"Evening Lucius," he said easily. "I thought I heard you coming."

"Yes, I'm sure you did," the blonde haired wizard responded with a curious look at his wife. "You've been in here alone?"

"All afternoon. I'm actually rather hungry, I wonder if your elves could bring me something," Snape said without looking up, appearing to be the most diligent worker.

"Of course," Lucius said. "Narcissa, go and ask the elves to start dinner." Hesitatingly, Narcissa left. "Have you finished the Draught?"

"In an hour it will be ready. I assume there is more you require of me?"

As Snape and Lucius continued their conversation, Ginny realized Narcissa had tactfully left the door to the stairwell wide open. Gesturing this to Andromeda, they crawled around the basement toward the door and slowly made their way up and into the corridor.

Ginny pressed them forward quickly and Andromeda followed suit. She dared not go into the study from which she entered and consequently did not know where to go. Fortunately, Andromeda pulled Ginny's arm and took the lead, going down a narrow hall adorned with deep blue carpeting and small silver chandeliers. She stopped and leaned against the wall, motioning for Ginny to copy her. Like the gateway onto Platform 9 ¾ Ginny fell back into what looked to be a kitchen.

Waiting there amongst the dozens of house elves preparing dinner was Narcissa, pacing anxiously back and forth and when Andromeda pulled at the invisibility cloak to reveal herself Ginny held it taut so that it remained over them. Ginny shook her head to convey that she didn't want Narcissa seeing her and her companion understood.

"Oh!" Narcissa exclaimed when Andromeda left the protection of the cloak alone. "I'm so glad you're alright! But how did you escape?"

"Never mind that, I must go. Nymphadora will be wanting mummy by now."

Narcissa smiled and embraced her sister. She led her to a door behind the cupboard and just before it closed Ginny swiftly slipped through after Andromeda. Ginny followed the dark hair witch through a covered pathway until they reached the wall where a hole had been dug underneath. Andromeda did not look back to find her rescuer but kept walking, uncaring about enemies searching the depths of Malfoy Manor.

Now all Ginny had to do was find Remus. She had an idea.

* * *

Lucius had asked for a poison that would take Snape all evening to concoct. He saw that Narcissa had intentionally left the door to his lab wide open when she left. He remained calm throughout the entirety of their much too long conversation but inside he was anxious, hoping for Andromeda's safe escape and not sure whether he hoped for Ginny's as well. He realized, with much discomfort, that he wanted her to still be there.

Once Lucius left, Snape turned. "Homenum revelio." Nothing happened. Both Ginny and Andromeda were gone. He was truly alone, with more questions than he had answers but one more friend than he had enemies.

Severus Snape had a Pandora's box of mixed emotions and confusions. How could she know all that she did? Why did she seem so confident in her words yet inexplicably relay a dependence on him? And even when she had every opportunity to curse him, even just to pay him back for what he'd done to her, she refrained from doing so.

He felt disconcerted by how important he was to a complete stranger that knew his darkest secret and feelings. Some of which even Lily could not have conveyed to her. How did she know so much? Although he felt like he'd learned so much from her, the girl remained aloof, and left him feeling as though he knew nothing at all. And through his distrust, he knew her assessment of his curiosity was spot on. She had shown twice already that she had no intention of killing him, like she trusted him. And he knew, much to his distaste, his want for information would settle his wand hand, even perhaps among his colleagues.

Some of the things she knew were plausible. Lily had known he'd lived in Spinner's End, in Cokeworth and that his skill in potions was nearly unparalleled by someone his age. He'd helped her in potions in their first and second years before she caught on well enough alone. And then they even experimented together before… But his feelings for Lily? That could only have been conjectured at and Snape knew she wasn't playing a bluff. She knew.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to go after her and make her answer all these bloody questions he had. Where was she from? What was she looking for? What did she want from _him_?

To quiet his mind, he set himself to making the poison requested of him, even though he didn't want to make it. If there was anything he knew she was right about, it was that they were keeping an eye on him. He detested that that she was right.

* * *

Remus shifted on his perch by the front gate of the mansion. He'd watched Lucius Malfoy's carriage drag him slowly up the driveway and he promptly sneaked by, executing a small yet impressive leap to take cover in some nearby bushes. To add to the scars he already had, the thorns of the bush tore his skin. He clenched his teeth as the menace entered the house. He didn't know how to signal to Ginny that Lucius was inside. The longer she remained inside Remus grew more worried over her. He continued searching for a way to get inside.

Half an hour later he heard a howl, too sharp to be werewolves but unmistakably a copy of one. He followed the sound away from Malfoy Manor, toward what he knew was Ginny calling to him to return to her. And he knew he'd always follow her.


	40. The First Mistake

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Chapter 40 - The First Mistake

Perched in a small thicket of bushes, Ginny sifted through her thoughts as she waited for Remus to answer her call. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Andromeda and Narcissa and the sacrifices they'd made in their relationship to please those around them, they allow them their beliefs while sitting idly by. They put up a façade of hatred and distaste to fool everyone yet they retained their bond in secret.

In Ginny's naïve young mind, when her role in Voldemort's defeat was meager and insubstantial, she'd understood Death Eaters and anyone associated with them to be treacherous, the vilest beings to walk the earth. She thought Death Eaters even darker than Dementors because Dementors were dark creatures innately. Death Eaters chose to be dark. Because of them, Ginny's family and many others had to hide. But Ginny realized not all of them chose it. Ginny didn't believe that Narcissa was technically a Death Eater but she was married to one. She hadn't chosen to be a Death Eater but she was by association, whatever sacrifices she'd have to make.

It was not only the Muggleborns and the blood traitors and the Order and the Potters making all the sacrifices of the war, not only their families being ripped apart.

A somber, almost respectful feeling washed over her. Andromeda and Narcissa were doing all that they could to survive. Just like she was.

Also in her mind was Snape, and Ginny worried if she'd ever get rid of him in her thoughts. She thought of how she'd successfully managed to make a proper ally of the greasy man with little effort. Though bemused by his torment she thought she'd done a rather splendid job of feeding him the perfect amount of information, thin enough to occupy his mind and keep him interested but not enough that he would be compelled to betray her trust. Still, she was both struck and disturbed by what he'd done – pulling back his sleeve so boldly to show her exactly that he knew his biggest mistake. And there was nothing he could do about it. The only way to quit being a Death Eater was to die.

Severus Snape suffered from the same weakness James did though he'd never admit it. Both of them would give their lives for the woman they loved. She wondered if Lily would ever know how many men would die to protect her.

* * *

"There you are. You alright? What happened? Did you find the horcruxes? Did anyone see you?"

"I'm fine. But no, I didn't. I…" She hesitated, unsure if she wanted to tell Remus about Snape. She made her decision more swiftly than she thought. "I don't think Voldemort has given Lucius the diary yet. And I have no clue where it would be hidden," she admitted. Remus nodded. "It also means he probably hasn't entrusted Bellatrix yet with the cup."

"Okay…okay. So what do we do now?"

Silent for a moment, Ginny understood and accepted the fact that she'd just lied to Remus, even though she wasn't entirely sure why. When she'd come around to this thought, she realized she hadn't answered him and hoped he thought she was merely pondering an answer.

"I think we have to wait. Like waiting for lima beans to grow, they're just not ready yet."

"What about the cave? The locket?"

"No. It's too dangerous."

"It's the only one available to us."

"Regulus died trying to get it."

Remus stopped, quite forgetting that Ginny meant in her time. When he understood, he nodded. "Let's find a place to stay, away from Death Eaters. We'll figure it out then."

He could tell Ginny was scared of the cave and he let the subject go, even if just for now. He knew there were Inferi in the cave and it made him sick think of it. But it was just one more thing he knew they'd soon have to face.

They Apparated a few times together, looking for a small quaint Muggle town they could blend in well with. It didn't take them long. They ended up on the outskirts of a town with a dirt square in the center of a few two story buildings that doubled as shops on the first floors and apartments on the second floors. One of these buildings was a bed and breakfast and Remus thought it rather romantic to have them stay there together.

"Go on and shower first," Remus offered, after they'd settled in. "I'm going to check downstairs to see what time they serve dinner."

Remus left the small bedroom to Ginny. She laid out clothes on the quilted bed, undressed, and let the hot water of the shower run over her for a few minutes before washing. When she got out passed a full length mirror and stopped.

Still sopping wet, Ginny looked at her naked body in the mirror and frowned. Never before had she been body-conscious. Two and a half years ago she would've walked into Harry's dormitory and stripped clean of her underwear upon seeing him alone. She exuded confidence then. Then, Quidditch practice toned her entire body and the only stresses she had were whether or not she would have enough time to study for her OWLs before Harry got out of his meetings with Dumbledore. And though she had less of a reason to be concerned about her body image now, worries were contagious and spread from one part of life to another. She was so worried about fighting Death Eaters, about finding horcruxes, about stringing Snape along, about keeping Remus away from those awful Inferi for as long as she could…worry spread like fiendfyre.

Her hips had rounded out a little more like her mother's than she wished to admit to herself but she'd gotten her father's height so she didn't look as dumpy. The muscle in her arms had grown weak and her shoulders hurt. Dark circles had begun to form underneath her eyes. But her legs were still strong and her chest was bigger, which she didn't mind.

At dinner, Remus wasted little time wanting to discuss their next plan of action. Ginny was glad he hadn't thought to ask about what she'd seen in Malfoy Manor, because she didn't wish to talk about it.

"So if Lucius hasn't been given the diary and its likely Bellatrix hasn't received the cup where could they be?"

Ginny shrugged, taking a sip of wine. "I have no idea. It makes me wonder why he ever gave them to his Death Eaters in the first place. Wherever they are now they're far more protected simply by obscurity."

"Perhaps he's keeping them in one place."

"Where could he possibly be hiding them? It would be a jackpot if they were still together. If we found them we could destroy them all at once."

"We'd probably be killed in the process, before we were even able to destroy them," Remus said reasonably. "If they are together they're probably outrageously protected, even more so than the locket. It would be a suicide mission."

"So we have to wait."

"We know he gave them to his Death Eaters to spread them out. That way even if someone found and destroyed one, there would still be plenty of searching to be done for the others."

"Assuming they knew he had more than one. Which Harry did, and which we do. But that would mean he felt that keeping them in one place was more dangerous than putting them individually in danger of being destroyed. There must be a reason he decided to spread them out."

"What if…what if Voldemort hadn't delegated the protection of his horcruxes until after the prophecy? Or even until he returned to power?"

Ginny took a breath, hoping it was not the case. "I don't think he waited until after he returned to his body. He had only been around for three years and by the time he'd returned I'd already been given the diary by Malfoy and Harry had destroyed it. That means he gave Malfoy the diary before he killed the Potters, which makes it much more likely that he did the same with giving the cup to Bellatrix. But…" Ginny hated to admit it to herself be she continued. "It's probable that Voldemort waited until he heard the prophecy before spreading the rest out. Before then there was no reason to worry that someone would know about them or try to destroy them. But with a prophecy that dictated there was a person capable of destroying him he would worry, because the only way to destroy him by then would be to pick off every one of his horcruxes."

"It makes sense," Remus agreed quietly. "He probably hasn't even put the locket in the cave."

"It's the only thing that makes sense. I'm sure we're right. I can't believe I didn't realize it until this moment."

"So we have to wait for the prophecy to be told and for Snape to relay it to him," Remus said, looking a little disturbed.

Ginny's heart dropped. Hours ago she'd been so proud of herself for having won Snape over. Now, she wished she hadn't. It was a dilemma like she'd never been in before. Her goal had been to destroy the horcruxes and Voldemort before the prophecy was said in the first place. That way, Voldemort wouldn't even have the chance to target Lily and James. None of his Death Eaters would take revenge on them if their Lord were to be killed before he could kill the Potters.

But in order to defeat Voldemort he had to hear the prophecy anyways. And now that Ginny had nearly convinced Snape to never speak of anything to the Dark Lord he would never hear the prophecy and they would never be able to finish him for good.

* * *

Neither of them felt particularly hungry over the next couple of days; the prospect of putting Lily and James in danger while trying to figure the best way to find the horcruxes before they had to (which was impossible) on less sleep than they'd chosen didn't so much inspire hunger as nausea.

But still they went down to breakfast each morning and picked at whatever food was offered, avoiding talking about Death Eaters or horcruxes until at least lunchtime. Ginny refused to even go near the cave, even though she knew it was their only option. Remus kept trying to make her be reasonable but she wouldn't budge. She was afraid of the Inferi, and of losing Remus in the process.

It hit her fully, how far they were out of their depth. Ginny was the reluctant yet responsible leader of the revolution and Remus followed after her as henchman would his master. But now Remus assumed the role of leader, as Ginny sunk deeper into her own mistake. She knew she couldn't have known about the horcruxes. She needed to find Snape.

This is what kept her mind on throughout breakfast one morning. They sat at a long table, similar to those at Hogwarts, along with two Muggle families and a few couples. It wasn't a particularly bright day. As the days went on it seemed the weather progressed terribly. Like the war, Ginny couldn't help but think. The Muggles were joyful since they were on holiday but Ginny read the Muggle paper and found multiple murders that happened each night. It sent chills down her spine.

Remus forced her to drink some tea.

"We need to figure it out Gin."

"I thought we had a silent agreement not to talk about this until lunch?"

"I'm disagreeing. We have to go to the cave," he whispered.

"There are people here."

The forks and knives clinked on their plates lightly.

"They don't know anything."

The ground shook as if a large tree had fallen over right beside the inn. Everyone looked around but shrugged it off as a tremor. Then the light fixtures shook and the floor rumbled and stopped abruptly. Then again. This time a tea cup from the display of collectible china fell and shattered. The Muggles shared mixed expressions of uncertainty and concern.

"Minor quake do you think?" the man with the mustache asked but another shake, somewhat more violent silenced him and was followed by another. Panic rose as the shakes became rhythmic and they huddled themselves beneath their tables. Ginny and Remus watched but did not move.

"Get down!" one of the mother's pleaded, looking up at them with worry.

"All of you stay here," Remus instructed loudly. He took Ginny's hand and dragged her to the window. He couldn't see anything but turned to Ginny and mouthed _Giants._

Never in her life had Ginny wished he was wrong quite so fervently. She felt sick with apprehension. She whispered a quick "_protego_" over the people in the dining room before following Remus to the front door to peek outside.

A shriek, bright and terrible cut through the moist air and both of them had wands out immediately, rushing furiously into the square. Another man, older than they were by a decade or more, had stalked into the square brandishing a wand as well. He turned his wand on Remus looking suspicious and Remus pointed his wand back at him.

"Boys, we have much, _much_ bigger problems," Ginny called, steps away from them. Over the top of the inn they saw three astronomical, grotesque, and livid giants.

"One for each of us," the man said, readying his wand.

"No we've got to evacuate as many of the Muggles as we can," Remus said.

"You then, go," the man instructed to Ginny. "Take them into the hills and follow the creek. We can handle the giants."

Ginny raised her brows. If it were the moment she would argue but there was no time and instead she turned to Remus. "Go get them Remus. Knock on every door you can."

"But Gin-"

The giants were still far but approaching quickly. "Have you ever fought a giant?" she asked simply but speedily.

"Have _you_?" the man asked her dubiously, one eye on the giants and one on her.

Remus ran back into the inn without another word and the man's doubtful expression faltered.

"I have."

The leading giant's leg rubbed against a building, destroying is façade without a flinch. Muggles within the building screamed and ran. The giants followed them, swinging what looked like clubs fashioned out of uprooted trees.

"Ginny."

"Oswald."

Mass chaos broke out as people looked out of their homes and saw giants, actual giants, come toward their homes. People ran in all directions, some stood still, unable to remove their eyes.

"It's a pleasure," Ginny said, evaluating what would be the battlefield, analyzing, creating a plan of action.

"You've got a plan?"

"Distract them from the Muggles. Stay away from under their feet. Lead them toward the south end of the square and into the woods."

With that, Ginny ran off toward the giants. She conjured a vine to trip a young man before he was trampled by the massive swelling foot of the second giant. He looked down at the vine, which he clearly knew had popped randomly from the vast expanse of dirt. Looking around, he found Ginny sprinting toward him.

"What are you doing?! Run!" she screamed, pointing her arm behind her.

Instantly, he obeyed.

Oswald watched the ginger girl impressively win the attention of one, then two of the giants, which were now currently tailing her. She ran south, diligently shooting curses behind her.

"Be bait," he said to himself. "Got it."

Ginny ran like lightning to the other end of the dirt courtyard with two giants swinging their clubs at her and at the terrified Muggles. "Stupefy!" she shouted but unlike a person, the giant became befuddled for a moment before zeroing in on Ginny again. One swung its club at her and clipped her left shoulder by a branch. She fell into the ground on her back and looked up at the monstrosities attacking her. She wouldn't be able to get close to them without getting rid of their clubs.

She stood swiftly. "Impedimenta!" she called as the larger one swung at her again, but this time it slowed down enough for her to back far enough away. She used a severing charm to cut away pieces of the tree and soon it was nothing but a stump.

The giant, angered, stole the club the other giant held. Clearly, the larger one was the dominant one but the direct mistreatment did not sit well with the lesser giant. He pounded the ground, making the square tremble. The dominant giant whacked his companion with such a force that it went flying into the trees, uprooting half a dozen of them. It lay quite solidly, unmoving. The angry giant then lunged at her and she fell, hard, into a curb and hitting her head.

"Petrificus totalus!" she shouted and the giant reared backward, the spell not completely useful.

The giant stood forward again. In her peripheral, Ginny saw Oswald struggling to lead the giant south. She felt blood, hot and thick, flow from the gash on the back of her head.

Ginny bound its feet together while it played a sort of Whack-A-Mole type game with her. Dodging it's blows, she ran tightly in every direction, making a messy figure eight around its ankles with her wand held as high as she could hold it. Too focused on watching Ginny and hitting her, the giant seemed not to notice what she was doing.

She ran south into the forest, and as she'd hoped it followed, stumbling a falling to the ground. Her chest heaved with the effort but she climbed over it and the other, inspecting them. She cut up the tree that had been brandished as a weapon, even though she knew if either of the giants woke it would be no issue to simply pull up another tree. She stupefied and bound them to the best of her ability.

Oswald ran toward the third giant, successfully distracting it from lifting the roof off a nearby house. He tried to mimic Ginny and bound its feet but the shear strength tore his magical bindings apart. It looked down at him, bent over and tried to smack him with the back of his hand but Oswald fell flat to the ground, dodging it. The giant, frustrated, roared. Oswaldo turned onto his back to see the giant step forward, its foot just barely missing his leg.

"Get up, get up, get up…" he chanted to himself as he struggled to put his feet flat on the ground. He stood in perfect time to run out of the way of the giant third attempt to squash him. "_Immobulus_!" he called behind him but the spell bounced off the stomach of the giant like a ball off wood flooring. He cursed out loud. He needed space but the giant followed him too closely. He was right underneath it.

"Flipendo!"

"No!" he heard, and before he could see who, someone tackled him to the ground. The earth shook beneath them harder than their fall warranted. Ginny looked back and they both saw the giant fall backwards onto the bed and breakfast and crush it. She sent red sparks into the sky repeatedly as he stood up again. The other giants had been knocked out and lay unmoving on the ground. Somehow Ginny had managed to extricate herself from their rage.

"The inn is demolished. Were there still people inside?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know, you lot were the last in there."

The door frame could only allow someone small to fit through. "You help Remus. I'll look here."

Ginny crawled beneath the destroyed door frame. Everything inside the inn was crushed, including the table the Muggles had huddled beneath before. All of them were gone.

"Help!" she heard someone call feebly. It sounded like a little boy.

Pressing her front to the ground, she army crawled along the wooden floor boards, ignoring the pinch of every splinter forming in her arms and legs and the gnawing pain in her broken arm. Using her wand, Ginny pushed stray parts of furniture out of her way.

A large pillar blocked her from a woman and small boy pressed into her lap. They were curled up in a corner, faces smudged with dirt and a few minor cuts. Another man lay face down, unconscious.

"Don't!" The woman said. Ginny followed her gaze up the ceiling which was cracked. The only thing holding it up, or struggling to hold it up, was the pillar. Without moving it though, she couldn't reach the boy and his mother, or the man. They were trapped.

"Is he alive?" Ginny asked.

"I… I don't know."

"I need you to check for me."

But the woman shook her head and held onto her son more firmly.

"Listen to me. Your son can fit under the pillar and come to me. I'll protect him and I'll get you out too, but I need to know if that man is alive," Ginny said calmly. She wanted to yell at the woman but she knew it wouldn't do any good.

The woman remained still but the boy wiggled, trying to extricate himself from her embrace.

"What's your name?" Ginny asked him. He had dark hair, much like Harry's, and freckles across his nose. He was maybe four or five.

"John."

"Hi. I'm Ginny. Can you help me?"

Bravely, John nodded. He kept squirming, still trying to leave his mother.

"Calm down, let your mum hold you. She's scared and that's ok. She doesn't want you to get hurt." John sat still and held onto his mother's hand. "Very good. Can you tell me what happened to the man?"

"His head got hit."

"Is he bleeding?"

John nodded his hand. The inn shook again and the ceiling wavered. Ginny suspected the giant was coming to. John's mother started crying.

"Alright, what's your mum's name?"

"Lucy."

"Lucy, listen to me. The inn is going to fall and if we don't get out we all will die. Let go of John. He's safer over here."

Slowly, as if in a trance, Lucy released her grip on her son, and John crawled to Ginny through the small space between the pillar, the floor, and the furniture holding the pillar. He lie flat on the floor like Ginny but faced away, toward the door.

"How are you going to lift the pillar?" Lucy asked, her voice shaking.

"Don't worry about that. Just trust me. Can you check his pulse?"

Lucy moved herself inch by inch, her eyes darting back and forth from the man to the pillar holding the weight of the ceiling. Ginny held up her wand, just in case. She worried about the giant.

"Keep going," she said, trying to sound soothing. "Don't worry about the pillar, I've got it."

Lucy pressed two of her fingers to the man's neck and waited. "He has a pulse but it's faint."

"I need you to lie on your stomach like me and not be alarmed." With her wand, Ginny summoned a bandage and placed it over the back of the man's head. The woman's eyes went wide. "I'm going to break the pillar and hold up the ceiling and you will crawl as fast as you can outside. John, you know where to go?"

"Yes."

"Mum is going to follow you alright?" she said encouragingly. "You're already close to the door. When you get outside, run to the north end of town as fast as you can. Don't go too deep into the forest."

The house shook again and the pillar broke of its own accord. The giant was standing up, and everything that had been crushed lifted. Ginny raised her wand to the ceiling and Lucy crawled behind John swiftly. Ginny stood and waited long enough to know they were out but she didn't have to. She heard Lucy's scream, probably on sight of the giant. But the giant apparently had no interest in Lucy and John since the inn's ceiling pushed lower, against Ginny's spell.

Just as she thought she couldn't hold it much longer, the ceiling lifted off the inn entirely. The giant had pushed it off the roof.

Unsure whether to thank the giant she levitated the man and used blasting charms to clear the way through the rest of the broken furniture to the door. Once clear of the crumbling inn, Ginny was scooped up from the middle and thrust high into the air. Her left arm swung outwards and heard another crack, the pain of which shot down to her toes.

The giant shook her hard, swinging her around. Too frightened that she might hit something or someone else she refrained from shouting a curse. Fleetingly, she remembered Harry telling her how he'd stuck his wand up a troll's nose.

From this height, Ginny saw everything that happened next. Remus emerged, running, from the woods toward her and the giant. Oswald levitated the man Ginny had retrieved from the inn and brought him into the forest. And all at once, as the giant reared his arm back as if to throw Ginny down like a child having a tantrum, two dozen witches and wizards Apparated in the square. The giant released Ginny hard, Remus screamed "No!" but she stopped, face first, levitating a couple feet above the ground. She fell the last space and heard another crack in her wrist as she bent it up so the fall would not crack her wand.

Within moments, Remus was by her side. The team of wizards accosted the final giant at once, using the same technique Ginny had, bringing it to the south end of the square.

Remus kissed her forehead.

"My arm is broken and maybe dislocated. I think my wrist too," she told him as he helped her sit up.

"Oswald!" Remus called. "Are they from the Ministry? We need a Healer!"

"We need an Obliviator. My neighbors are losing their minds with fright."

"What happened to the man?" Ginny asked but he frowned and shook his head.

"Lost too much blood. Him and two others are dead," he said through gritted teeth.

The people from the Ministry approached them.

"Go find the Muggles. Wipe their minds," the eldest of the Ministry men instructed. He was tall and thin and had pointed hat that flopped over his shoulders. They split up, some of them to the north, while others left to repair damages.

"You should've been here a half an hour ago, Marcus! Three Muggles dead because the _Giant Watch Committee_ isn't doing their job!" Oswald shouted at him as the rest dispersed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Oswald stop," the man said, holding his palms up defensively.

"No," he replied firmly, "I've lived here my entire life and people I've known for years are dead because three rogue giants decided to attack. You should've been tracking them! Leading them away!"

"The giants have been out of control."

"You mean this isn't the first time this has happened?" Oswald asked incredulously.

Remus glanced at Ginny to see if she knew anything about recurring giant attacks. She gave a curt nod, unnoticed by the others. They returned their attention to the officer.

"How long have the giants been hostile?" Ginny asked, still holding her head, trying to stop the bleeding.

The officer glanced at Ginny and he saw her arm and the blood dripping from the back of her head and cleared his throat. "The first attack happened three weeks ago. Two giants took a stroll through a children's carnival in Liverpool. Two days later five giants attacked a small village on the coast. There've been more since. They've gone berserk. We can't track them efficiently enough. We only got here because of your red sparks, Oswald."

Shaking his head, Oswald pointed at Ginny. "Not mine."

Marcus stroked his graying beard in consideration of Ginny, who, of the three of them, was the most wounded.

"It seems as though they're targeting Muggle establishments," Remus inferred.

The man sighed. "It seems that way, yes. This is the first attacked town that's had any wizards in it."

"And it isn't the last. I would imagine that alone would suggest Voldemort is directing them."

Both Marcus and Oswald flinched but looked at her with a sort of reverence that she always gave to Dumbledore. She stood a little taller.

"Many clans of giants support him, and I'm assuming these attacks won't stop. You need to find a way to handle them more efficiently, or more people will die, including our own. It's war," she said, more boldly now.

Marcus sighed. "Everyone but you seems to be afraid to use the word, but I daresay we'd better start before the Death Eaters get ahead of us. Who thought to bring the giants south and the Muggles north?"

Again, Oswald pointed at Ginny. "Says she's fought giants before, and I reckon I believe her after all this."

"Where on earth did you get experience fighting –"

"Remus!" they heard a high-pitched voice exclaim and they were both grateful for the interruption. The last thing Ginny wanted to do was explain when she'd fought Giants for the first time, at the Battle of Hogwarts. Turning, they saw Mary McDonald, wand in hand and gold ringlets bouncing as she sprinted toward Remus. She threw her arms around him, embracing him closely. "Oh I'm so glad to see you! You're alright!"

When finally she released him, she noticed Ginny. For a split second Ginny thought she saw disappointment on Mary's face but if she had it vanished in a second when she brightened and hugged Ginny as well.

"What are you doing here?" Her eyes grew wide at Ginny's broken arm and the crusted blood all over it. Immediately she went to tend to it. "Did you fight the giants?"

"Yes," Remus answered. "What about you?"

"I'm a healer. For emergencies like this. This is the third giant attack I've been called in for. Normally I stay at St. Mungo's but there are too many Muggles who need to have their memories altered."

"But you're a healer. Certainly others wipe their memories. Wizard Secrecy Department?"

Mary shook her head. "We're overseen by them now, field healers. There're just too many attacks, Muggles being killed everywhere. And with the giant attacks it's even worse. Thousands of Muggles see one giant walking down a busy street and we've got to find all of them. It's awful."

"Mary, how do you know them?" Marcus asked.

"I went to school with them, sir. We graduated from Hogwarts together," she answered her superior.

They allowed Mary to repair Ginny's wounds and remove her splinters. The process of fixing the damaged houses, obliviating every Muggle, removing the giant corpses, and restoring general warmth to the small town was a long and arduous job that Ginny, Remus, and Oswald were abstained from participating in since they were considered victims.

Later that evening, Marcus approached Ginny, asking where she'd fought giants before. She told him she'd rather not talk about it, alluding to the death of her family and luckily he didn't not interrogate her further. Instead, he asked if she and Remus would consider aiding the Giant Watch Committee and considering that they had nowhere else to go, she accepted.


	41. The Second Mistake

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Chapter 41 – The Second Mistake

By now, Lily was pregnant with Harry and soon Sybil Trelawney would go for her interview with Dumbledore for the Divination position at Hogwarts. Remus knew that not being around, not knowing when it would happen made Ginny anxious. She became quiet and thoughtful when they were alone, distancing herself. He tried very hard not to take it personally but as soon as he resolved that her disposition was because of the giants or the horcruxes it went away just as steadfastly. He sometimes felt as though there was another presence in the room that forced his mind to wander back in a bad direction.

He felt like he was always getting angry with her, being frustrated that she wouldn't say what was on her mind. She went from being distanced and closed to being able to say nearly anything to him and was now reverting back to how she used to be when she'd first shown up in this decade. He wanted to know how much of her thoughts were consumed by the idea of Harry. Did the possibility of seeing the infant make her reminisce about her relationship with the man? Did she miss him? Was she comparing her relationship with Remus to her relationship with Harry? Had he been a better kisser? He had been braver?

Of course he knew the answer to that. It always came up in his mind, over and over when he thought about it. Sure, Remus fought giants with her on a daily basis. But he'd never done anything so outwardly courageous as Harry had done. Harry had slayed a dragon. Harry was a Quidditch player. Harry could produce a patronus when was only 13. He'd won the Triwizard Tournament, had fought Voldemort, had killed a basilisk. Harry had even saved Ginny's life, single-handedly, when he was merely twelve years old. Remus had simply been her teacher, years ago, for a short while, in a different life. There was no reverence in that.

Weeks passed. The extent of their intimacy had been limited to tending to one another's many wounds procured from fighting giants. Alone, the two of them had killed three dozen giants. Entire tribes were being wiped out. Muggles were killed, even people from the Ministry were killed. Remus knew he and Ginny were lucky. But for the many scars they were gathering they managed to scrape through every battle with their lives. More than anything, he was simply glad that Ginny was there with him.

One evening in the tent given to them by the Ministry, Remus was rubbing a coolant on burns she'd gotten all along her leg. He had twice as many brutal scars than she ever would but the burn she had hurt him physically to look at it.

"I love you," he said to her.

She looked up at him and smiled, wincing at little at the sting. "I love you too," she told him.

A large part of him soared, as it always did. But for a while a twinge of uncertainty disrupted his happiness. Did she really love him? Or did she love him because of the circumstances they were in? Did she love him more than she'd loved Harry?

A once soft curiosity about Ginny's relationship with Harry Potter grew into an intense jealousy over the months they'd spent fighting giants and Remus couldn't shake it. He was both envious of Harry, a boy he'd only heard stories of, and was insecure around Ginny because he didn't meet those expectations.

* * *

Ginny thought rarely of anything but how to get Snape to reveal the prophecy once he heard it. For a while, she hated herself for not having thought ahead and getting herself into this predicament. She fought giants to get her mind away from the disappointment but she knew soon she'd have to face it.

The idea had come to her one evening slowly, bit by bit. First, she realized she needed to betray his trust. But even if she did, if Snape recognized that the prophecy may still have to do with Lily, he still wouldn't refer it to the Dark Lord. There was no way she could protect Lily and James and find the horcruxes at the same time.

She thought about discussing her idea with Remus but she'd never told him about Snape. She was sure that Remus was still under the impression that they were waiting for Snape to relay the prophecy to the Dark Lord. He was unaware that Ginny had convinced him to do otherwise at Malfoy Manor. So she devised the plan herself. She would leak the prophecy, part of the prophecy, herself. How exactly she would accomplish it, she wasn't sure. She was used to being able to talk to Remus and get his thoughts on her idea but for some reason she felt she couldn't tell Remus about Snape. He wouldn't trust the Slytherin, she knew that. If she told him he would leave and that terrified her.

Remus had been tentative around her for weeks. She hoped he was not losing sight of what they needed to accomplish. She hoped he wasn't losing sight of how much she cared about him.

They waited patiently and when Dumbledore's patronus came saying the prophecy had been made, they stopped fighting off giants. Remus believed they could soon resume their horcrux search and was eager to be active in the search once more. Ginny followed after him, looking for a fight instead of a horcrux.

Much like Harry, Hermione, and Ron had done, they bounced from place to place, getting closer and closer to town frequented by Death Eaters. They listened for news about Malfoy or Lestrange, but heard nothing. Everything was kept a secret.

When Ginny expressed frustration about it Remus found he was unsympathetic. He always felt frustrated lately, for the same reason. Ginny was keeping secrets from him and he knew it. It made him bitter.

Ginny decided that they should go down Knockturn Alley and Remus obliged even though he disagreed with her premise. He didn't think they would get any information from walking around a creepy place. He figured they'd just end up in a fight. He said nothing, because it was probably just one of her secrets she was refusing to tell him.

Slowly, they perused the shops of Knockturn Alley, listening carefully but hearing nothing until a nasally voice hit their ears. Severus Snape.

"I should not think the potion too watery," he was saying.

Beside him in the alley were Death Eaters Ginny recognized as Carrow and Dolohov. Perfect, she thought. The rest of the alley was empty but for them.

"You'd better hope you're right Snape," Carrow was saying hrough dirty, disgusting teeth. "He'll have your head if it's not right."

"I am perfectly confident in my brewing skills, thank you," Snape said snidely.

Ginny walked out from the shop they were in, right into the three of them.

"Oi!" Carrow called, taking out his wand automatically. Remus pulled his own wand and rushed after Ginny, quite surprised.

Snape saw through Ginny's disguise and pushed himself out of her way, leaving room for her to turn quickly and pull her own wand.

"Defodio!" she shouted. Carrow was blasted backward, thrown against the opposite wall. Remus bound him quickly. Ginny caught Dolohov by the wrist and twisted it. He screamed and reached for his wand. Remus focused on Snape, readying his wand for another curse. Ginny watched Remus point at Snape's face, turned entirely away from Dolohov. At the same time Dolohov pointed his wand at Ginny, an Unforgivable on his lips.

"Protego!" both she and Snape shouted simultaneously. For a moment she was frightened Remus would realize her spell had been cast to protect Snape. But a shield surrounded her as well, Snape's spell protecting her. The Slytherin and Gryffindor shared a momentary expression of confusion mingled with surprise. Fortunately, the others thought each had protected themselves.

Dolohov came hurdling at her now. "Sectumsempra," she said and the apish man fell to the floor in a heap. She knew Snape was probably looking dumfounded at her. Snape reached to heal his comrade and Remus went to curse him but Ginny bound him before he could.

She looked over at Carrow and Dolohov who were watching her with fear in their eyes. Dolohov was barely able to breathe. His skin cut open multiple times, his blood leaked out onto the floor and she knew she needed to get her message across quickly.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…" Snape, locking his gaze on her, gaped wide and fidgeted, trying to reach for his wand to silence her. The bindings on him stopped him from being able to do so. "Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Tell the Dark Lord to beware." She took Remus's hand and with a final, somber glance at Snape, they Disapparated.

They arrived back at the tent in a fluid motion. Ginny sat at the table and worked to undo her disguise. Remus walked about the tent, stomping, angry. He looked over at her, waiting for her to look up at him and ask why he wasn't fixing his robes but she seemed to be able to ignore him easily.

He grunted. "Why did you do that? You started the fight on purpose. You could've gotten killed. What was the reason for that?"

"They needed to know the prophecy," she answered simply, turning from the mirror she had in front of her.

"They probably already know about the prophecy. We should've questioned them about the horcruxes," Remus said. He crossed his arms over his chest.

Ginny stood up. "What if Snape hadn't said anything yet. We'd be asking questions about useless things, Voldemort would find out and be even more cautious with his horcruxes. I wanted to be sure they knew before we started sneaking into any mansions again."

Remus looked doubtful and she took a step away from him. "It didn't sound like that."

"You think I should've asked, 'Hi, we're looking to destroy your master's horcruxes. Do you happen to know where he's hidden them?"

"Of course not but you sounded like you were telling them the prophecy on purpose. It sounded like you were betraying Lily and James."

Ginny blanched. Her face got fiery red. "I will not allow you to compare me to Peter Pettigrew!" she said passionately. "How can you even think I'd betray them?"

Remus remained silent. Her eyes darted around, wondering why he wasn't arguing back before she realized what she'd done. Remus now took a step back, loosening his arms and letting them fall. He sat.

"Peter. It was Peter."

"No, I – "

"Don't lie to me Ginny!" he yelled, standing up again and pointing a finger at her. "You've been keeping too many secrets from me and I won't have it anymore. Peter betrayed Lily and James then, didn't he? It makes sense. I don't know why I didn't think about it before. You used to tiptoe around him like a small child around the bogeyman."

"It doesn't matter anymore, he's changed."

"So you think. What happens if he becomes their Secret Keeper again?"

"He won't. He's got courage now."

"Courage doesn't mean loyalty," he said through his teeth.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he retorted icily, turning his back on her.

"You don't think I'm loyal? To Lily and James? Or to you?"

Remus glared hard at her but said nothing.

"Fine. I'm going to bed." She went into the closed off room where they kept their sleeping bags.

Remus stayed up for a long time after that. Peter had always been the weak one. Ginny was never loyal to him. Her courage overshadowed any kind of loyalty or respect she had for him. She kept secrets from him. She didn't pity him but she demeaned him. If not checked, Peter would betray Lily and James again. She didn't love Remus, she loved Harry. Everything she did was for Harry. Harry wasn't a werewolf. Peter could be taken advantage of any moment now. He would be the first person they targeted. Harry was brilliant, Remus could never prove his worth to her. He would always be second best.

Taking the box with the ring inside of it out of his bag, he placed it in Ginny's. He now felt silly for yelling at her. He wanted to take it back but things were different now.

In the morning, Ginny wrapped her arms around Remus. He held her close.

"We've never fought like that before," she whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"Me too."

"Let's have breakfast. You stay here and start and I'll go into town to pick some things up."

Ginny nodded. Remus left and Ginny set the table and waited. She realized he'd really left before the sun rose high into the sky, lighting up the entire interior of the tent, but remained seated as if in a trance until it dipped down below the horizon again.

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	42. You Killed Us

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Chapter 42 – You Killed Us

"You did not betray Lily and James," she said to herself. She was lying in bed like she had done every evening after Remus had left. Remus's words were playing in her mind. _It sounded like you were betraying Lily and James. _Curled in her sleeping bag, she repeated this sentiment to herself again. During the day, when all she had to think about was destroying horcruxes, Ginny managed to block these thoughts away. But at night, the guilt of betrayal she felt plagued her and she spent hours in bed attempting to console herself before she eventually fell asleep from pure exhaustion.

Tonight however, she couldn't find a way to convince herself that what she'd done had been absolutely necessary. Telling the Death Eaters the prophecy had seemed like the only thing she could've done. Voldemort needed to be afraid that he could be defeated so that he would find better, or simply just separated, protection for each of his horcruxes. But the expense was at the lives of her best friends. It was more than likely that Voldemort would find and kill Lily and James. Remus probably felt that was exactly what she had done and wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

That was what had to be done though. It was the only way. Wasn't it?

Ginny had never swam so deeply in self-doubt. She was only just able to remove it from her mind enough to work on destroying the ring. She didn't know where Remus had gone or why he hadn't returned but she couldn't let his absence side track her. Finding and destroying the rest of the horcruxes was her first priority regardless of Remus's whereabouts or what he felt.

So she pushed herself into her work, burying any emotion that would impede from doing her job. If Voldemort had not yet distributed his horcruxes to his Death Eaters for safekeeping, he soon would, and Ginny wanted to be sure the ring was destroyed before she went after them. It would not do her any good if she were captured while trying to find the diary or the cup and they took the box with the ring inside it from her.

She spent all of her time focused on the box. The golden case did not have a large lock that she could attempt to unlock or hinges on one side she could try to break. Instead, the box had simply a line around the center where it would evidently separate once she found a way to open it. At present, pulling at it did nothing.

However, the box did have some minute carvings that she did not notice the first time she inspected it. They were deep too and she knew that it had something to do with opening the box. Voldemort was unlikely to add design to anything unless it had a purpose, a dark one at that.

She studied the box closely, using her wand to diagnose how deep the divots in the box were. It was hard to say what their purpose was. Was a special key needed to open it? She wondered this as she turned it around in her hands.

"What is that?"

"It's nothing," she answered absentmindedly before she started and turned. "Fabian? How did you find me?"

"We didn't. You found us," Gideon answered. Her twin uncles stood side by side before her looking fresh and clean. They looked bright even, as if they hadn't just been searching for her in a deep thicket of woods, which was where she'd hidden herself for the past week. They were miles away from London, the Ministry, and the Order.

Suspicious, Ginny drew her wand. There was no way anyone could find her. She'd traveled so far away on purpose and she was far too protected. It couldn't be the real Fabian and Gideon. "What's your sister's name?" she asked.

"Molly Weasley," one answered, seeming to understand that she was asking to prove his identity. "And her children are Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and soon to be…Ginny."

"It really is you," she breathed with relief. Tears brimmed her eyes.

"We're not here to hurt you. We are here to help you."

Ginny closed her eyes and leapt forward to embrace them both, only to open her eyes to find nothing in front of her again. She turned and saw that her uncles were still standing there, quite untouched. They faced her again with sad smiles. Her easy breathing ceased entirely and it was all she could do to ease the rising panic attack that'd been threatening for days.

"You're dead."

They nodded.

She began to pace slowly, and they allowed her to think. It explained why they could get passed her enchantments. She knew they were not ghosts. She didn't what they were or how they'd gotten here but she knew she was familiar with it. They were just like Harry had been, years ago. The ring on her hand felt ice cold.

"Am I the only one that can see you?"

"Yes."

"It's the ring isn't it? The ring brings you back. That's why Dumbledore was so interested in it. He knew."

"It works by turning it," Gideon said. "Dumbledore spoke to us about it not long before we died. He thought it prudent that we should be aware. He mentioned you had it and that you might one day need some guidance."

"And here we are," added Fabian. "Your uncles to the rescue."

Ginny nodded, processing it all. Not only did she have a ring that could bring back the dead, she had two. And one was still a horcrux.

"So tell us. That box, what's inside of it?"

"The ring," Ginny answered. They gave her confused looks as they clearly saw the one on her finger and she explained why she had both.

Together they inspected the box and Fabian and Gideon's more experienced mind helped her analyze how to possibly open it. They gave many suggestions before coming to one that made sense.

"It looks as though it needs a potion to be poured over it. Don't the engravings look sort of a like a reservoir of some kind? Like they could be filled."

Gideon agreed. "But where is she going to get ingredients, let alone find a place to brew it? It'd be a suicide mission."

"I could bring it to Snape," Ginny said, although thinking she probably couldn't. He would more than likely curse on sight.

"Talk about a suicide mission. He's a Death Eater, Ginny, there's no way he would help you."

"And even if you could find him he's always surrounded by other Death Eaters. Spying after him would be dangerous."

"Honestly, he's probably looking to kill me personally anyways."

They didn't ask her to explain and she was quite glad of it. Again, she forced thoughts of betrayal from her head and concentrated.

"The only thing with a potion is that it could be any potion. How would I figure out what kind of potion that would unlock it? And if I did figure it out, I could brew it. Anyone could brew it. That doesn't sound like Voldemort to me. He would want to be the only one to open it."

"Clearly though it needs some form of liquid. What's a liquid that only You-Know-Who has access to?"

They pondered over it for a while before it occurred to Ginny. "Dear Merlin. Blood. The box requires the blood of Voldemort himself to be unlocked. How am I supposed to procure a vial of blood of the most formidable wizard in all of England?"

The answer to that question went unanswered by her shell-shocked uncles. They did not disagree with her. They knew she was right. Ginny tried to think of any other alternative to opening the box but none came to her. All she knew now was that the fight with Voldemort she'd been holding off for so long would now have to arrive sooner rather than later.

* * *

In bed that night she had other things on her mind. Fabian and Gideon were gone after they'd figured out the box and she was quite alone again. But this evening she was not at war with herself over betraying Lily and James. No, instead she thought of the one person she most wanted to talk to, the one person she thought she'd never see again. Harry.

She had the ring but did not spin it right away. Would it even work? Did she want him to see her like this? Struggling to complete the task he set her out to do?

She decided that she would wait. The power of bringing back the dead could not be abused, she understood that much. That was indeed why Dumbledore had not told her immediately what the ring could do. Ginny placed it back on her finger. If she needed Harry she would call for him at her most desperate hour. Maybe as she was about to die, like he'd done for himself. When Harry walked to his own death. She thought about the connection Harry had with Voldemort. Ginny once had a similar connection, when possessed by him in her second year. But Harry had a much deeper connection. He shared Voldemort's blood.

Ginny shot up. She didn't need Voldemort's blood. She could use Harry's.

But then another wonderful idea came to her. She and Lily, years ago had made a blood pact, for the purpose that if Lily and James were to die for Harry Ginny could raise him instead of Petunia. Ginny shared Harry's blood.

With this realization, not thinking that the blood Ginny shared with Harry was yet untainted by Voldemort's own blood, she used her wand to cut open her hand. She let her blood drip over the box and it perfectly filled the crevices carved into it. Excitement building up in her, she watched and heard a click. Joy filling in her, certain that she'd been right about having Voldemort's blood within her own, she wrapped her hand and lifted the box. Easily, she slid the top off the box, revealing the horcrux inside.

If she hadn't just come to the conclusion that she would not use the ring again she might have put it on. But she already had the other one on anyways and she thought of Dumbledore's withered, cursed hand and laid the horcrux down without touching it.

The horcrux would fight back, she knew, and she prepared herself for it as she reached for a basilisk fang from her pack.

"Traitor," it said, and she froze. "They will never forgive you. They will be dead before they can forgive you."

A hazy smoke formed around her and she saw James white as snow, eyes wide open, dead. "You killed me Ginny," he said, only his mouth moving. "You killed us."

Ginny's breathing picked up. She could still see the ring and she lifted it high. But then Lily's body formed, her face white as a sheet. "I thought we were friends. Sisters."

"We are…" she answered feebly. Lily's arms and legs were splayed out in every direction but her hand held onto something as if she were trying to hold it close to her. Ginny blanched when realized what it was.

Harry's infant body lay motionless and pale, eyes wide open, still stricken with fear. "You killed me Ginny," he said, in the adult voice Ginny loved.

She closed her eyes. "This is not real. They are not dead. Harry is not dead. Harry is _not_ dead!" She plunged the fang into the center of the ring and the scene was gone. She was back in the empty cold woods and she shivered uncontrollably. The image of Harry's dead body haunted her. She picked up the ring and threw it far away from her.

It was destroyed. It was done. Exhausted, she lied back down, begging for sleep. But she couldn't and she wouldn't for many long nights to come.


	43. Traitor or Not?

**Thanks to: quirky owl, Quasi-Verbatim, ctc, HappyPNF, Maeleana, Blue Luver5000, Woody250599, OceanWavesAuthor, and phoenix star midnight shadow for favoriting and reviewing!**

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Chapter 43 – Traitor or Not?

Ginny left the secluded part of England she'd fled to for Spinner's End. She wanted to find Snape. For some reason, she felt that if she explained what she'd done and why she'd done it to Snape, she would free herself from the guilt. He'd probably kill her but hopefully he'd hesitate long enough for her to explain.

She walked along Spinner's End, looking for his house and hoping that he was alone. It was dark out and only a few street lamps were actually lit. She stayed under cover of night rather well.

It did not take her very long to find the mailbox that read "Snape" in bold black letters and she approached the door silently, while putting on her cloak.

"Alohamora," she whispered, and the lock clicked. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

The foyer was dark but she could make out a small library along the walls and a sitting area close by, comprised of a couple shabby armchairs and a long sofa. The entire house was quiet and Ginny remembered that Snape's father had been a muggle, so it was unlikely that any house elves were there, but she kept up her guard, just in case.

She had imagined the place to be much less kept than it looked. Everything seemed to have its place. Books were placed in their shelves neatly, organized by subject and then by author, alphabetically. There were few decorations and no framed family photos, but some antique trinkets sat on end tables or were shoved between books on shelves that Ginny suspected probably once belonged to his mother. The house was kept much cleaner on the inside than the outside of Spinner's End would have suggested. Floors swept and surfaces dusted, the room might shine if the lights were on.

It was evident that Snape was not home. Ginny did not want to thoroughly search his home so she stayed in the front room, wand directed at the door. Once Snape walked in she would disarm him and hopefully keep him calm enough to explain.

She'd been waiting for over an hour. The sun had long since been set and she'd left the lights off so when a glowing bluish light illuminated the room she bolted upright in her chair.

A glowing phoenix formed before her and spoke in Dumbledore's voice.

"Severus Snape has stepped forward, and agreed to be a double agent in return for the protection of Lily Potter and her family. He informed me that he did not relay the prophecy to Voldemort, but that you did. Be wary of him. He was quite intent on killing you, but I hopefully convinced him of your allegiance."

Ginny sighed. He would be much less easy to keep calm than she'd thought. She doubted that Dumbledore could have assured Snape of her loyalty at all. Severus Snape was a man who desired reason and answers, not simply empty assurance.

At least Dumbledore did not consider her a traitor.

Then Ginny felt every limb in her body snap together, frozen. She detected a dark figure emerging from the door. The patronus had distracted her and she'd let her wand down. His pace was slow and measured but his voice gave him away even before he said "Lumos" and revealing his face in the light. He brought his wand tip right by her face and he got so close that she could smell his musky breath.

"What are you doing here?" he asked slowly, through clenched teeth. He glared so forebodingly that Ginny knew if she didn't answer just right, he might just kill her.

"I was looking for you," she answered as calmly and distinctly as she could.

Snape grunted his distaste for her. He pressed his wand to her neck. "You've got everyone fooled you know? Right here under everyone's noses but you have an uncanny ability to make all the right people unaware that you are a problem," Snape sneered. "Including Dumbledore."

"Hardly," Ginny said, looking Snape up and down. He looked weathered, overtired. Clearly, she'd caused him much strain and sleepless nights. "You gravely underestimate Dumbledore if you can believe me capable of deceiving him. Although, I'll take it as a compliment anyways."

"You told me specifically not to tell the Dark Lord about the prophecy, but then you went and told Carrow and Dolohov, who of course sent the message on. You might as well have taken a knife to Lily's throat!"

The image of Lily dead, holding onto a lifeless infant Harry, popped up in her mind and if she were not frozen she would've flinched at the memory. Lily's death would not be because of her, she decided right then.

"Explain yourself!" he said impatiently.

Ginny knew that Snape asking her to explain meant that, no matter how hard he pressed his wand into her neck, he did not intend to kill her, at least not yet. It meant he was still curious about her and what she knew about Lily, even though his already wavering trust in her was gone.

"Like you, I've become a spy. Not by personal motive but by necessity. My secretive nature is a product of something much larger than you think."

"How can you possibly know I am a spy?! I spoke with… an hour ago…I… Why's it always you? You that show up uninvited, you that know more than you ought to!" Snape growled. He was so angry and confused that he trembled.

"Does it truly frustrate you this much?"

"It's absolutely demoralizing!"

"I find it rather intriguing."

"Intriguing?" Snape asked in disbelief, dropping his guard. "You have not only hesitated to hex me, but you've refrained from killing me the multiple chances you've been presented the opportunity, and I can't be anything but sure that your Protego Charm was not meant for your _wolf_."

She was grateful for being frozen so that she could hide her reaction from Snape at the mention of Remus. "You've a keen eye Master Snape."

"Yes, well, as I become keener you've become frustratingly more elusive."

"Accordingly, of course."

"But then you tell Carrow and Dolohov about the prophecy, which I can't doubt is the very thing you asked me to keep quiet about in the first place. They took no time at all to relay what you said to the Dark Lord and mere moments for him to target her! _You're a traitor,_" he said pressing his wand forward again.

If Ginny had still not been frozen she would've taken a large step backward from Snape as he looked just about ready to be done with her. Instead she said, as calmly as she could manage, "I am not a traitor."

"You've a special way of demonstrating that."

"What I did, I did only because it was absolutely necessary," she said, trying to convince both of them. "I had to leak it. Voldemort has a specific set of artifacts that he would only distribute if he thought them to be in danger. If he doesn't know of the prophecy he won't give them away."

"You're talking about the diary and the cup you mentioned…You're risking Lily's life to steal some fantastic heirlooms?"

"Do you really believe me to be an antique collector?" she asked, becoming upset.

"I don't trust you."

"You don't need to. Lily will be heavily protected."

"Not by any of _your_ efforts. _I_ went to Dumbledore and asked for her safety."

"And your loyalty to the agreement you made with him will make all of the difference," she said pointedly.

"Don't you speak to me about loyalty – "

Finally, anger flooded Ginny. She would not allow Snape to convince her of her traitorousness. "There is not another _person _on this earth that is more loyal to protecting Harry, and I would venture to say that it might include his parents!"

"Harry?"

"Harry is Lily's son."

"The child has only been alive for mere months, how could you possibly be loyal to an infant you've not even seen?"

"Are you truly so daft? If you've been paying any attention at all Severus Snape you would realize that I am not from your time. How else would I be aware of anything before it's happened, be able to warn you about the prophecy and its dangers. Lily knows the danger that approaches her because I told her long before it was even a thought in Voldemort's slimy head! You are seeking understanding of a complex situation by the mere edges of how it appears."

Stunned into silence, probably ashamed he had not realized immediately, Snape relinquished the charm on her and she felt her blood pulse again through her veins. But he disarmed her immediately.

"Prove it. Prove to me you are from the future."

Ginny thought of how she could possibly show Snape that she was from the future. She thought of the books in her bag._ A History of Magic_, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_, and _Advanced Potion Making_. There was no way she would show Snape the first two. But the second was perfect.

"Do you have your old Potions book? _Advanced Potion Making?" _

Snape eyed her curiously before flicking his wand. A book flew from one of the shelves and landed on the table beside them. Ginny took the liberty of sitting at the table while Snape stood still, keeping the tip of his wand pointed at her.

Before digging into her bag she said, "There is no other wand in here but a useless, broken one. I'm going to reach into my bag and pull out nothing but a book, so please don't curse me."

Doing just as she said she would, Ginny retrieved Snape's book and placed the much older version beside its relatively new counterpart.

Snape lifted the book and inspected it, turning the pages slowly. When finally satisfied, he placed it back down and sat in front of her.

"How far into the future are you from?"

"Twenty years, about."

"And what happened to Lily?"

"You know very well I can't talk to you about those things."

Thankfully, Snape did not argue with her but, if possible, looked bleaker. He picked up Ginny's copy of his book and thumbed through it again as if it held all the answers to the future he was looking for.

"The only way to save Lily now is to defeat the Dark Lord," he said hopelessly. "He'll be after her if it's the last thing he does."

"That's the plan."

He gazed at her wide eyed.

"You believe you can handle the Dark Lord single handedly? Don't overestimate yourself."

"Being nearly invisible has its advantages. Snape, you don't have to trust me. But understand that you and I have the same motive, and very similar goals. It's your love for Lily that compels you and I understand that entirely. I am doing everything in my power to protect her, and Harry."

"Did you love Harry?"

"I always have. I always will."

Ginny stood to leave, taking her wand gently from Snape's grip. He let it go but kept his own wand still trained on her.

She removed the bag from around her neck, the one Hagrid had given Harry. She put the three books inside of it, leaving the basilisk fangs, Harry's broken wand, and Harry's memories inside her backpack. Then she dropped Hagrid's pouch into the fireplace and watched it burn. When she was sure the bag and its contents were entirely ruined, she turned back to Snape.

"No one else needs to know the truth."

She gathered her things, taking the Invisibility Cloak, and leaving Snape quite speechless, she left.

* * *

Dangerous as it would be, it was time for her to retrieve the cup and the diary. Snape had made no mention that Voldemort had given his horcruxes to his minions but that only meant he'd done it quietly or hadn't yet. She worried most about the cup. One of these days, Bellatrix Lestrange would be making a special trip to Gringotts and the only way Ginny would be able to get her hands on the cup before it reached the bank would be to intercept it while it was in transit. Once Bellatrix put it inside Gringotts it would be untouchable. Ginny did not have the resources or the gall to break into the heavily protected wizarding bank like Harry had done.

Her best bet was to wait outside the bank and ambush Bellatrix as she went to put it in her vault. It would be the only time that the witch was likely to be alone and with the cup. Surprise would be the only edge Ginny would have.

So she spent her days in Diagon Alley, being particularly observant of who crossed by and into Gringotts. At first, she disguised herself as best she could using magic but eventually she resorted to remaining under the Invisibility Cloak because the Alley was deserted more often than not. In some ways the quiet, nearly abandoned street served as a relief and a comfort to her and for small moments at a time she could almost convince herself that she was back in 1997 and her only responsibility was to do well in her OWLs. In reality, she was a spy. She saw few wizards roaming about the road and those she saw were hidden under thick cloaks with their heads down, trying to pass by unnoticed. Only twice did she see anyone prancing around without a care. Both times, they were Death Eaters. Of course they weren't keeping their heads down, they had no reason to be afraid.

After seven days. When Ginny was prepared to pack her things and make her way directly to Lestrange manor, she saw her. The awful witch walked tall and mighty across the Alley and Ginny suppressed the urge to spit on her.

She followed her. Gringotts was not her first errand and Ginny followed after her into Knockturn Alley. Bellatrix went into a shady shop nearby Borgin and Burkes and then into an apothecary that must have sold numerous illegal substances.

Finally, Bellatrix began walking back toward Diagon Alley and turned down a narrow lane. Around the corner, Ginny removed the cloak and shoved it in her bag.

"Stupefy!" Ginny said jumping around a building, but her auditory gave Bellatrix a moment's notice and she dodged the spell.

A yellow jet of light flew in Ginny's direction but she swiftly ducked out of its way. Another spell flew toward her and she managed to block it with a protective charm.

She sent spells flying, matching Bellatrix's speed and intensity. Bellatrix scowled, seeing that a witch so young as Ginny was able to fight as well as she could. It would have been a well matched duel. Ginny had grown experienced and learned so much since she last dueled someone of Bellatrix's caliber. But out of another alley, Carrow and another Death Eater arrived and Ginny knew she was out of her league. She sent a spell that hit nothing of any use. She ran.

"After her!" she heard a male voice call.

The curses behind her came fast and she threw behind her not even a quarter of what flew after her. They were catching up. She felt one grab the strap of her backpack and she flung around, hitting a wall hard. The strap ripped and she hastily grabbed the bag with one hand. Ginny sent one last hex and it nearly hit Bellatrix right in the face but she blocked it. She was surrounded. The meatier Death Eater ripped her wand away from her.

"Stupid, vile girl!" Bellatrix seethed, pressing her wand into Ginny's jugular. Ginny was aware that this was the second time she had a wand at her neck in a week. This time however, she was not going to be able to walk away scot-free. "You think you can follow me around without my notice?!"

Ginny knew she would be captured and that they would probably search her bag. Desperate, she inched her hand toward the opening of the front pocket of her bag. She reached down stuck her hand inside imperceptibly.

"Wait Bella!" Carrow called. Ginny stopped, afraid he'd noticed what she was doing. "It's her. She's the one who told us about the prophecy."

Bellatrix smiled, tracing shapes on Ginny's face with her wand tip. "Well then, you sneaky wench," Bellatrix said, chest heaving. "You've lucked out. For the moment, anyways."

Finding the vial and gripping it in her hand Ginny punched Bellatrix hard across the face and completed the motion by throwing it across the Alley with every bit of power she had. It shattered against the far brick wall. Its contents, silvery and glowing, slid down the wall along its cracks and into the street sewage drain. Ginny caught her breath, momentarily shocked at what she'd done before her head was yanked back by her hair.

"You will certainly pay for that."

Then, Bellatrix Disapparated, Ginny's hair still coiled tightly in her hands.

She used every inch of her power to stay calm. Harry's memories were gone. She needed to stay cognizant. Every connection she had to him was gone. She was about to be tortured mercilessly and questioned. She'd need to use Occlumency no doubt and she needed her wits about her. She was totally and completely alone.

They arrived in an ornately decorated dining room and Bellatrix shoved Ginny into a chair and bound her tightly. It was one of the plush dining table chairs and bizarrely, Ginny realized that it was the most comfortable and luxurious seat she'd ever sat in. Her hands were tied tightly behind the seat back and rope tied her calves from her ankles to her knees to each front leg of her chair. Carrow threw her bag into the corner of the room carelessly.

"Deal with her," Bellatrix ordered, using the back of her hand to wipe away the blood from her lip. She glared at Ginny. "But don't kill her."

Ginny thought she could hear the echo of the word "yet" ring in the air but she didn't have time to think much about it. A searing pain ripped through her and she screamed. Carrow and the other Death Eater she did not recognize circled her, taking turns cursing her. They seemed to really enjoy her pain. Another jolt. Then another. She involuntarily struggled against her restraints and very quickly did red welts appear from rope burn. But the stinging of her open flesh was a mere pin prick in comparison to the Cruciatus.

The large Death Eater with dark hair in tight coils leaned down and grabbed her face. She felt his dirty fingernails dig into her cheeks.

"You're a pretty little thing aren't you?"

Carrow laughed menacingly behind him and said, "Not for long."

They proceeded to curse her more, simply for the fun of it and although she'd never experienced such blinding pain in all of her life, she dreaded Bellatrix's return for it would be ten times worse. Not only was she easily more powerful than these men, she wanted revenge as well.

Through the pain, she mentally prepared herself for the questioning that she knew would come next. She cleared her head, moved every important piece of information to the recesses of her mind and locked them tightly away. No thoughts of Harry or the Order or the future would arise, so that when she was questioned, she would be useless.

When Bellatrix returned she had a long, sharp kitchen knife in one hand, and her wand in the other. She was followed by Crabbe, Avery and Alecto Carrow.

Ginny was already bleeding from her wrists and one look at that knife told her she'd have many more bleeding wounds before the night was through.

"Where did you hear the prophecy?"

"I didn't," Ginny said honestly, but was cursed regardless.

"From who did you hear the prophecy?"

Ginny shook her head. Bellatrix cursed her.

"You will tell me what you know!"

"Your hair resembles your husband's pubes," Ginny said and then screamed with pain as Bellatrix cursed her again. Ginny smiled after, hearing the other Death Eaters behind her laughing.

"Don't laugh you baboons!" And she cursed Ginny again. "Tell me the prophecy is a farce!"

Ginny's features darkened. "I can't."

Bellatrix leaned down and brought her nose to Ginny's. "Then you'll tell me who it refers to."

"I can't. And even if I could, I wouldn't."

"Oh but you can and you will. If not about the prophecy than about the Order of the Phoenix."

Bellatrix untied her and she was forced onto the ground, lying face up. The four men held her down by every limb. The crazed witch held the knife up threateningly before marking Ginny's skin. Like a small child drawing stick figures, Bellatrix carved into Ginny's arm. She screamed at Ginny for answers but she replied nothing. Unsatisfied by her lack of tears and her lack of answers, she used Legilimency.

The mental battle was a strain but not one that Ginny struggled with. She kept the truth from surfacing with some effort.

"I need Veritaserum. Fetch Snape. Now!"

Alecto Carrow rushed from the room. For the time it took to reach and retrieve Severus Snape, Bellatrix had tied her back up in the chair and took joy in cursing Ginny repeatedly. Every searing shot felt like her muscles were being ripped apart in twelve different directions. She clenched her teeth as her skin tore and blood dripped. Fleetingly, Ginny knew thought if she ever left Lestrange Manor, she would have twice, three times the amount of scars Remus would ever have. For long moments at a time she couldn't breathe and in between the air she managed to gasp was rigid and dry.

"You beckoned," he said in his drawling voice when he arrived, finally.

He entered the room and saw the mass of people surrounding her. Snape met Ginny's eyes but made no other expression. Her chest heaved. She wheezed, trying to get clean air. She watched his eyes follow her body before looking back at Bellatrix.

"I've tried Legilimency but she's resisted it. You have a storage of Veritaserum that I require full access to. Bring it to me immediately."

"Tell your potions _pet_ not to bother. Veritaserum won't help you," Ginny said tiredly.

Snape's eyes flicked back to her and then to Bellatrix again.

"She is a gifted Occlumens, it seems, Bella. No amount of Veritaserum could force her to reveal her secrets. It would be a waste," he said.

"I don't care how much potion you have to brew, she will talk. Get me the Veritaserum!" she barked.

When he returned with a large box, Bellatrix hastily took a vial up in her hands. While she uncorked it, a Death Eater from behind her pulled Ginny's head back and forced her mouth open. Ginny coughed and choked on it.

Every important secret came to the forefront of her mind, the worst of which touched her tongue but she clamped it shut before she could speak. Snape eyed her warily from over Bellatrix's shoulder.

"To whom does the prophecy refer to?" Bellatrix asked.

With all of her strength, Ginny resisted the urge to tell her. All of her Occlumency training was being put at use all at once. The resistance brought heat to her face and she couldn't fight it.

"I'm not telling you," she said to her own surprise and felt the instant pain from Bellatrix's curse.

Through her screams, Ginny detected relief flash across Snape's features.

* * *

**Two updates in less than two weeks, I know it's crazy. But a combination of procrastination and inspiration go a long way. Review please!**


	44. Losing It

**Thanks to: ano9748, EllaB4Midnite, MuggleCreator, eli10jj23, guitarmorseknopfler, hemiyami, Flower Kid is a Leprechaun, bunnieskeepmygravesafe1120, Harry Albus Lupin, MiraclesHappen94, HappyPNF, : Quasi-Verbatim, Blue Luver5000, SwanQueen4055, richisancho, phoenix. star. midnight. shadow for reviewing and favoriting!**

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Chapter 44 – Losing It

They kept her in the dungeon. Yes, Lestrange Manor had a dungeon meant specifically for the purpose of keeping prisoners, and a very well armored one at that. Bars were unnecessary. Instead, invisible walls had been formed around the dark, windowless room. Ginny had touched it once and the pain of it had been so severe that her hand lay paralyzed and motionless for several days afterward. The room had one door that led to the rest of the manor and was only opened when they dragged her out for more interrogating.

Ginny had never been so bruised and cut in her life. She was sure her arm was broken and her abdomen, bare from the amount of times a cutting curse had been set at her clothing, was raw. Fortunately, her left eye was swollen shut, otherwise the heavy bleeding from her hairline above it would be dripping into her eye.

So far, however, Ginny had restrained herself from saying a word about the prophecy or the Order and felt a strange sense of pride arise from her ability to keep mum. Her loyalty to Harry proved to be what drove her. Though she could not think of him when being tortured, she welcomed the memories of his warmth and love from years ago. How could she let him die? It seemed silly.

Any attempt of escape had resulted in being recaptured and punished. Her first moment of freedom had lasted only twenty seconds when Rosier had accidentally dropped her wrists as he brought her down stairs. She'd retaliated instantly but without a wand it'd been impossible for her to get very far. She was dragged back upstairs by her hair and tortured simply for the fun of it.

"If you believe you can escape than I have not inspired enough fear in you," Bellatrix had said menacingly.

"You don't scare me. Anyone who can love such an ugly reptile as Voldemort can hardly inspire much fear as she does embarrassment."

Ginny definitely got a whipping for that one. But taunting Bellatrix seemed a much better use of her verbal abilities than anything else. She was pleased that insulting Bellatrix between screams seemed to entertain the other Death Eaters as much as it pushed Ginny along herself.

"You little swine," she said once as she carved words into Ginny's arm. She brought her face right up next to Ginny's and she got a full inhalation of Bellatrix's breath. She cringed quite visibly and Bellatrix pressed harder with her knife.

"Ugh. I've smelt rotting corpses that are less offensive than your breath. Purebloods have to use toothpaste too, you know."

* * *

So far, the girl had been employing strong use of Occlumency to fight against the near dozens of vials of Veritaserum Bellatrix had been serving her like candy, all while taunting those torturing her. Snape was well beyond impressed. But he knew she would not be able to hold on forever. The Cruciatus Curse was, as so named, unforgiving, and soon Ginny's mind would be gone and along with it her resolve to keep secrets.

Snape didn't trust her, but so far, aside from revealing the prophecy in the first place, she'd willingly submitted to daily torture to keep Lily safe. And Snape couldn't ignore that.

For a while he did nothing but watch as Ginny deteriorated physically and mentally. The first sign was that her jokes stopped. Then, she became withdrawn, not speaking at all. One of two things would happen if she didn't simply give up. She would lose her mind entirely, including any pivotal information about Lily or she would become too weak to leave up her Occlumency guard. The latter case was the one Snape worried about the most. She would be incapable of reasoning, spouting information like a broken faucet. He fought with himself, hoping she would lose her mind entirely before she gave up fighting. But he knew he would need a plan if she ever did give up.

His first step was to sabotage the potion. He brewed the Veritaserum that they forced into her and he would simply remove one basic ingredient so that it wouldn't work. But he didn't know what he would do if they used Legilimency on her when she was too weak to fight it. He stayed up hours of the night trying to figure it out. The only thing he could think of was to kill her himself.

Days after her arrival Snape realized she had not eaten. Alecto Carrow in tow, he gathered dry bread and half a glass of water and made his way to the dungeon. He instructed Carrow to remain at the door.

She lay on the concrete floor, one of her wrists clasped between metal and chained to the center of the room. Expecting to be dragged out, she did not look up at him until he spoke.

"I've brought you food," he said loudly.

Slowly, she sat upright and crossed her legs. He bent down in front of her, his back to the door and put the plate in front of her and she grimaced.

"What a fine meal," she said dryly, picking up the bread and eating it nonetheless.

"What do I do if you become too weak?" he whispered quickly.

She tried to sigh but her one of her lungs was punctured and she couldn't take a full breath. "Are you asking my permission to kill me if my Occlumency fails? How gallant of you."

"I just don't see any other option. If I release you, I would be outing myself as a spy."

She nodded, seeming to fully accept what would be a prolonged residency at Lestrange Manor. He stood and began walking away when she called. "Don't tell Dumbledore."

Snape said nothing. He had no intention of informing Dumbledore.

"What's she on about?" Carrow asked.

Snape shook his head. "Dunno. Crazy by now."

* * *

Asking Snape not to tell Dumbledore that she'd been captured solidified that she would die at Lestrange Manor. Ginny knew that if Dumbledore heard where she was, he'd likely inform the Order and the Marauders would come looking for her, likely getting themselves captured or killed in the process. She didn't want that.

She didn't imagine that Snape would have such a problem with this, as telling Dumbledore could potentially put Lily in danger if she wanted to come rescue Ginny. Snape probably didn't have any intention of telling Dumbledore in the first place.

Not long after Snape had brought her food was she dragged up to the living room for torture again. She could see her own blood stains on the carpet from days prior.

Bellatrix had a heavy hand with her beloved knife that evening. Ginny felt like she was fighting two battles at once. She was fighting the physical pain that the torture caused and the mind penetration that at least one Death Eater in the room was attempting, switching often to try and catch her off guard. Fortunately, none of them but Bellatrix was at all a worthwhile Legilimens. The excessive amounts of Veritaserum fatigued her the most but towards the end of the evening she realized its affects had worn off even though she'd been fed a vial every hour. She'd either grown accustomed to the potion in her system, or else Snape was brewing a faulty potion.

"What is your name?" Bellatrix asked. Frustrated with her silence, she probably figured asking such a simple question would catch Ginny off guard.

"She looks like a Weasley," one commented, pulling on her hair.

"The Weasley's haven't had a female heir in centuries, it's impossible," another replied.

"You could hardly call her an heir. She'd only inherit a shack and excellent fertility," Bellatrix cackled and they all laughed with her.

Ginny kept her face straight and remained silent.

"If she won't talk we should just kill her."

"Killing her would be fruitless. At some point she'll be so weak Legilimency will be just a simple trick to get everything from her head."

"We could have the Dark Lord do it. He's a brilliant Legilimens."

Ginny prayed to Merlin that this plan would be objected to and thankfully, Bellatrix obliged.

"No!" Bellatrix demanded. "I will get the information from her, I don't care long it takes. Crucio!"

Ginny never thought she'd be so thankful for the Black family pride in her life.

* * *

They stripped Ginny of everything she had save her clothes. But after a few weeks her clothes were now so ripped and destroyed that she was nearly as naked as a house elf, and treated quite less than one. She hadn't seen daylight for months and she was always exhausted from the constant effort she put to using Occlumency.

She was so tired. She pressed her bruises and cuts to the concrete floor of the dungeon because it was cool and gave her some small relief. She did not know how much longer she could take it. Bellatrix had vowed she would do whatever it took, no matter how long it took to get her to speak. And though her resolve was steadfast, Ginny was so weak that she would soon lose her ability to use Occlumency effectively. The next time Snape came to give her food, she would ask him to kill her.

At this moment, Ginny was alone. She lay half unconscious, bloody, and splayed out on the cold concrete floor of the room that had been her solace for so long. She opened her eyes and saw the only thing she did have – Harry's ring. She recalled from what seemed like a year ago, Fabian and Gideon telling her what it could do.

Desperate. Months ago she'd decided not to ask for Harry until she was desperate for him. Well, she was certainly desperate now. She slipped it off and, thinking of the only person she could ever want, rolled it in her hand. But Harry did not appear.

She understood. When she needed guidance she usually sought her parents or else her older brothers. Always family. And so when she turned the ring, even though it was still in the box, Fabian and Gideon arrived. They were her only family that were dead. Harry couldn't come because he wasn't dead, not in this time.

Finally, after all this time, Ginny cried. She screamed. She gave into the pain and the hurt and everything she'd shoved away. Remus had left her, abandoned her. He didn't have a care in the world where she was at this moment, torn and beaten and barely able to breathe. The boy she loved had made her disposable, just like the Death Eaters. She cried for all the months Remus had made her spend alone. And then Fabian and Gideon, dead, just like the rest of her family would one day be. She cried for betraying Lily and James. The loss of Harry's memories. She cried for every torture session she'd been through, for all the effort she'd put in to keeping her friends alive and safe. For wanting Harry, for missing Harry, for needing Harry. She cried for the pain and the fear and the anxiety. She sobbed for hours, letting out everything she'd wrapped up so neatly inside her and it left, all of it, every last bit. She accepted whatever fate was to come to her. Ginny shook and trembled and seized until she could no longer recognize anything within herself. Finally, she'd lost her mind.

* * *

Watching the girl's new reaction to her torture and interrogation was sincerely the most disturbing thing Snape had ever witnessed, and that was a feat in itself. He stood behind Bellatrix, off to the side and watched. With every curse, Ginny laughed and laughed. The Cruciatus no longer affected her. Or maybe she was just too gone to feel anything.

"There's nothing you can do that'll make me say anything at all!" she yelled gleefully. She was strapped to the chair again and joyful madness spread across her face. She leaned her head back so that she looked at those standing behind her upside down and she grinned.

"She's lost it, Bellatrix," one of them said. Ginny made no response to this but to continue grinning like a child.

"Not so soon. She's faking it, I'll bet."

"It's been months," Snape disagreed.

"No, she's much stronger than that."

Ginny's head snapped up as if Bellatrix had caught her doing something wrong. But she said, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!" And then she burst out laughing again as if she'd just been told a raunchy joke.

"Give me the Veritaserum. She may not be entirely gone. Maybe just gone enough to let go of her dirty little secrets."

Snape gave Bellatrix a vial, one he knew would be as useful to her as a comb.

Ginny sucked it down like a baby drinking from a bottle and then spit it back out in Bellatrix's face.

"You've destroyed me, and with it everything you ever wanted to know. You're a fool Trixie!" she taunted and laughed more. Rosier gave Snape a doubtful expression which he mimicked. Bellatrix slapped her hard across the face but she snorted as though it were the funniest thing that'd ever happened to her.

"Fine. _Avada – "_

"Stop," Snape interjected. "Let her rest. Clearly torture is not the way to open the girl's mind. And killing her won't solve anything at all. Her mind contains fragile information. Information that we need."

"Fine. But when I return from my sister's, I demand she either have spoken or be dead."

They left Ginny tied up in the dining room throughout the night. Loneliness was the most prevalent emotion she felt and it was no longer one she could suppress. Ginny became withdrawn again. Her crazed stupor had subsided but she could only think of how solitary her situation was. Her mind was so warped that she could not even recognize that Snape had thwarted Bellatrix from killing her, or be angry that he had.

Her chin rested on her chest, too weak to lift it and too gone to care.

It was late into the evening when Bellatrix, along with Narcissa and Lucius, returned to Lestrange Manor. The entire manor had grown dark and she'd been left ignored.

"It is an honor and you both should be proud," Bellatrix said with an air of superiority from the other room. Ginny had only seen that it was the kitchen when the door was opened to admit Death Eaters into the dining room or when they left. "He's given us prized possessions to protect."

"Bella, do you realize what he'd do if we were to lose it? He'd have us killed."

"As he should. My advice is not too lose the diary."

Ginny's ears twitched, the first movement she'd made since speaking to Bellatrix hours and hours ago, however involuntary. At the sound of the word "diary" a sharp awareness Ginny hadn't felt in months struck her. The pain that had fogged her had gone.

"What are you going to do with the cup?" Ginny's head snapped up. A clarity so tangible and exceptional graced her mind. Somehow, her fingers found the knot restraining her wrists and robotically began working at untying it.

"I'm going to do what he asked me to of course! I'm going to put it into my vault at Gringotts."

They must have thought her too weak or too lost, because the rope became untied more easily than she could've imagined. Perhaps the long awaited shots of adrenaline coursing through her were to be blamed. She immediately began working on her ankles.

"He did not ask us to hide the journal," Narcissa said nervously. "He wishes for us to keep it plain sight. It might be stolen."

From the other door to the dining room, Snape entered. Ginny looked up at Snape, looked him directly in the eye with such a cognizance that shocked him quite into disbelief. She had just finished releasing her bonds and she jumped him. Having only a little force to move her, she used her fingers the scratch him and dove into his sleeve for his wand.

She silenced him.

She rushed to her bag which was still strewn carelessly in the corner. The Invisibility Cloak was still, miraculously, untouched inside. She wrapped it around herself.

"Do what he asks of you, regardless of the consequences," Bellatrix answered macabrely. "The Dark Lord is our Master and it is shameful for you to question him."

"The Dark Lord is _your _Master," Narcissa said crossly. Ginny approached the door, preparing herself.

"Hush!" Lucius said. "Dissonance, wherever it is expressed, will only cause retribution. Bella is right."

She'd never spelled so quickly in her life. Thrusting herself into the room, she locked onto Bellatrix first and stunned her, moving swiftly to Lucius and then Narcissa, who was so shocked she hadn't even attempted to reach for her wand. She bound each of them, but this time she obliviated all three of them. Ginny would never exist to them.

"_Accio _wand," she said and her wand flew toward her from a drawer in the next room. Snape's wand strewn aside, she looked over Bellatrix and sought after some kind of revenge. She thought to cut off all of her hair but Ginny thought that that would only serve as an improvement on the belligerent woman's countenance and decided instead on a more personal offense.

When satisfied with her handiwork, she turned. As if she were gazing again at the mounds of Egyptian gold she'd once seen on summer holiday, she saw the cup and diary sitting side by side on the counter. She couldn't believe her luck, and before she began crying she dropped them into her bag and Disapparated.

Finding comfort in the forest, Ginny arrived in a heavily wooded area nearby the Manor, as she was too weak to go very far. Adrenaline still rushing through her, she emptied her bag entirely. The cup, the diary, and a basilisk fang glittered before her like consolation prizes. She ordered them side by side very carefully.

The horcruxes could not fight back or defend themselves using mind games like before. No, Ginny's mind was already too beaten. The cup seemed to accept that there was nothing it could do to fracture Ginny's resolve and when she lifted the fang and plunged it into the side it whimpered and screamed and was nothing.

Destroying the cup was so therapeutic that she stabbed it again, and she smiled.

She turned to the diary, ready to have it be gone altogether. It had caused her so much torment in the past that destroying it would be ten times the relief of the cup.

But Ginny stopped, her arms lifted in midair above the wretched diary. Her chest heaved but she couldn't manage to bring down the fang to stab the diary. It was as if her hands were held up by rope, suspended by more than just fear.

It was then that she realized it.

"What are you waiting for?" said a voice behind her. Severus Snape. She didn't know how he'd found her but she didn't care.

She couldn't speak. Her mind raced, unable to cope with the vastness of it all.

The figure emerged from the bushes and took the fang from her hand with a gentleness even he did not imagine he had. He took the diary and set it before himself and stabbed it once, twice, three times.

He set the now destroyed horcruxes beside one another, away from Ginny. Uncertainly, he held her arms and lifted her to her feet. The closeness to him felt weird, his tenderness felt misplaced.

"You need to leave. You're not safe here."

She shook her head. "I need your help."

* * *

**Please, please review! I've updated like three times in one month, that's probably a record. So please let me know what you think!**


	45. Return and Revenge

**Thanks to: Quasi-Verbatim, MiraclesHappen94, RyanCroell, LeStrange4795, MuggleCreator, Blue Luver5000, ctc, jadely31 and all guests for favoriting and reviewing, etc!**

* * *

Chapter 45 - Return and Revenge

Three weeks later:

Ginny appeared, disheveled and bleary eyed, on the doorstep of the cozy cottage in the corner of Godric's Hollow that Lily, James, and Harry Potter called home. She knocked.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Lily screamed when she opened the door and embraced her friend hard. Ginny felt her warmth, breathed it in. When the green-ey3d witch released her she held Ginny at an arm's length to look over her.

"You…"

"…look worse than a ghoul who's just barely gotten over a bought of spattergroit?" Ginny finished for Lily. She put a hand through her hair. She felt that her eyes were swollen from lack of sleep and she hadn't the opportunity to shower for a few days but she hadn't seen her reflection for weeks.

"Without the pustule scars, yes," she agreed. Ginny noted to herself to only wear long sleeves from now on. Luckily it was getting cold again. Lily ushered her into the house gently. "Come in, sit. Awner just put on the kettle. It'll be ready any moment. Where's Remus?"

Ginny stopped and studied her friend for a moment. Lily Potter looked curious with a dab of worry. "I suppose I can safely assume he hasn't been here. Makes sense though, I wouldn't have come here either for refuge." She continued onto the kitchen and Lily followed beside her.

"Refuge? What are you talking about?" Lily asked more sternly, probably hoping it was the first of April. In the kitchen, Awner sat at the kitchen table knitting, a pile of tiny hats and scarves and socks in a variety of colors already finished in front of her. "Where's Remus?"

"My guess is as good as yours. He left months ago."

Lily took hold of Ginny's hand. A break up was difficult to begin with. But having to go through it alone, along with all the responsibilities she'd already assumed must have been…Lily couldn't even imagine. And all this time Lily had been trying to work out how they'd been surviving, how they found food, and how they'd managed to stay hidden. She'd imagined Ginny cooking a nice dinner after a long day of Horcrux hunting and now she realized she'd gravely underestimated what they were doing. Thinking of Ginny cooking made her nearly laugh. "You've been alone, searching for Horcruxes by yourself?" she asked incredulously. "And you have no idea where he went? What happened?"

At this moment, James strolled into the kitchen and brightened even more than he already was when he saw Ginny. He raced up to her and threw his arms around her. She tried not to flinch but she still had some pain in her shoulder and abdomen. Luckily, he didn't notice. Gratefulness and acceptance emanated from him.

"Merlin, Ginny," he said, holding her at am arm's length like his wife had, "I thought Lily had been in labor for sixteen hours, not you."

"James," Lily scolded.

But James reached to hug Ginny again and she accepted it warmly. Chiding aside, she was overjoyed to see them. She hadn't seen them in over a year. The tea kettle sounded and Awner jumped from her seat to retrieve it.

"Please sit Mister and Misses. Tea is ready," Awner said graciously. "Awner will watch Master Harry nap while Misses and Mister talk."

Awner's tone was dark and so James gave Ginny a concerned look. He remained quiet, trying to guess what was wrong. "Where's Remus?" he finally asked.

Her hands folded, Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon and evening recounting the last year and a half of her life looking for horcruxes. They were not aware of anything in between then and now and she gave as much detail as she could, leaving out choice bits that were too painful to relay. She told them about the time she spent in Little Hangleton. She was sure to tell them about her time at Lestrange Manor and how she managed to escape. When she was done with her story Lily had her hand held over her mouth, speechless.

James looked murderous.

"I'll kill him."

"Kill who?" Sirius asked, walking into the kitchen. Ginny spotted Regulus behind him and she jumped into his arms. He swung her around but put her down rather quickly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly eyeing her figure. "You've lost weight."

"It's nothing," she answered immediately, but he saw right through her.

"Don't lie. You haven't been eating. You've lost weight," he repeated. "James, have Awner make her something hearty to eat. What happened?"

"_Remus_ is nowhere to be found. Ginny has been looking for horcruxes by herself for the past six months because _Remus_ walked out on her! She was locked up and tortured for months at Lestrange Manor because _Remus_ was not there for her!" James fumed. His face was crunched up and his shoulders heaved up and down. He looked like he was going to punch a wall.

"James please calm down, you make my capture sound like it wasn't worth anything. I did destroy the diary and the cup. If a few months pain is the price for a piece of Voldemort's soul, then I'm glad to have paid it. And I got two pieces."

But no one paid attention to her.

"I'll kill him!" Regulus exclaimed, miming James's sentiment.

"Ginny, did Bellatrix hurt you?" Sirius asked, fists clenching.

"Stop!" Ginny said, flicking her wand and everyone was silent. "Neither of you will kill him, and yes, Bellatrix did hurt me but I already got my revenge on her for it. Sirius, for your own life, I beg you not to go after her personally. What is important is that I am fine and the horcruxes are destroyed. Please, let it go. Mostly, I wish to see Harry."

Lily fetched her son and offered Harry for Ginny to hold and she smiled. The small boy did not whimper or fidget wanting to be with his mother still but looked curiously at Ginny, comfortable in her embrace.

"Hm. Wonder if he knows," Sirius thought aloud.

"Don't be silly, Sirius. He's a baby," she said, almost cooing. "Lily, he's beautiful."

"Hands off, you old bat," James joked, "he's a toddler."

Ginny played with Harry, fed Harry, held Harry, and put Harry to bed. She was enthralled by him. He smiled often and pulled her hair. He was still learning to sit on the little broomstick Sirius had got him. Ginny knew somewhere behind her they were discussing Remus and what had happened to her. Lily would sit with her and play and then Regulus would sit with her. Sirius insisted that she would stay with them from now on and that he would make up a room for her by that evening.

Ginny's mind was on Harry however. Her brain easily separated the Harry she loved before and this small child. He just wasn't the same without the lightning bolt scar, although she'd never say that to his parents. Instead, she felt a greater need to protect him, to teach him, and to show him true compassion. This Harry would never know the disregard or hate that the Dursleys had put _her_ Harry through.

Late in the evening Sirius and Regulus coaxed Ginny to put the sleeping Harry back in his crib and brought her to their flat.

The apartment was small but they kept repeating to Ginny that she was in no way an imposition. She suggested that she stay at Potter Manor but they refused to hear it. Potter Manor remained the headquarters of the Order and they would much rather her feel at home with them than alone at Potter Manor and surrounded by things that could only serve as a reminder of the last dreadful few months of her life.

Once Harry was asleep, James left for Potter Manor. He and Sirius had some things to discuss with Mad Eye. But Sirius Flooed back to the flat with his brother and Ginny to be sure everything was set right.

Regulus set up the spare bedroom for her perfectly. There was one bathroom they'd have to share and a small living room that provided enough space for them all.

"Ginny, do you want a butterbeer?" Regulus called from the kitchen.

"Get her a firewhiskey, I'm sure she needs it more than us," Sirius said.

Ginny offered her appreciation. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed. But thanks." Sirius left and Regulus retired to his room. She sighed. It'd been a long afternoon. Recounting everything that had happened to her had been more haunting than she thought. And even though she'd been so alone all these months and had been craving any sort of companionship, she was still grateful for the small bit of peacefulness she could have now.

She spent some time unpacking her things, putting books on shelves and clothes in drawers. She then went into the bathroom to freshen up.

Her attention was immediately captured by the large mirror on the side wall, specifically her own reflection. She was thin, almost to the point of being sick. Her collar bone and her cheeks stuck out sharply as if everything underneath were hollow. The heavy bags beneath her eyes were dark like bruises and her skin was paper-like and dry.

She brought a hand up to her face, needing to touch it to believe it was really her. Gone were the cheerful plump lips and round breasts. The muscle she had gained in Quidditch practices and in fighting Death Eaters had withered away. Her clothes hung on her like bed sheets.

She reached the hem of her shirt and pulled it up, revealing her stomach. Everything was mostly healed but the map of her time spent at Lestrange Manor was clearly drawn over her skin. She took a reassuring breath before pulling off her shirt entirely and studying herself. She could remember when almost every scar was made. The one travelling down her arm was the first one. Another around her chest peeking out from under her bra for when she would not tell Bellatrix who had told her the prophecy. And so, so many more.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Regulus bumped into her since the room was so tiny.

"Oh Gin, sor-" He stopped. He'd been about to close his eyes, turn away, and leave but he froze and shamelessly looked at her body, awestruck.

With both hands he reached toward her hips and turned her to face him. She tensed under his scrutiny but his touch felt calming. Silently, he traced with his fingers the most prevalent of scars up to her waist, then to her arms and collarbone, expertly avoiding her chest.

He held her face in his hands and she hung her arms from his wrists. Tears sprung to his eyes though words evaded him.

"It's not your fault," she told him and he huffed, shaking his head. "It isn't."

"I let you go with him instead. I was supposed to go with you," he said.

"It is my fault. I chose to have Remus come with me instead."

"But-"

"Please don't make me feel worse by blaming yourself. I'm alive and I'm here with you and that is what is important."

He nodded and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his warm arms around her. He was comfortable to her. She felt she could be wrapped up there in his arms forever. "Do you need anything?"

"No. I have everything I need right here."

* * *

The darkness of Ginny's last few months took a very sharp upturn for the better.

The next few days were slow and simple. Everyone made sure that Ginny was left with entirely no responsibilities and she was fine to accept the attention. She Flooed to Potter Cottage every morning and spent all day with Lily and Harry. Though James, Sirius, and Regulus were in and out throughout the day, they often came to check up on her.

They were reluctant to give her any updates on Death Eaters or fill her in on any Order business, and for the present she was content to be ignorant of it all. For the first time in a very long time, Ginny was happy to be treated like a delicate child.

Harry had become her absolute joy and he likewise had become quickly attached to her. It was uncanny how easily he felt comfort around her, even though she was a new person to him.

"I've never seen him so eager to play with anyone. You tire him out so well," Lily said after they put him down for a nap. "Tea?"

"Yes, please. Doesn't he dote on Sirius though? Harry always reaches after him when he comes in the mornings."

"You're right, but Harry's only known you for a week."

Ginny laughed. "Does it trouble you that he trusts so easily? You should be more worried that Harry is going to hurt himself."

They heard a chuckle from the living room, where Awner was picking up some of Harry's toys. She came into the kitchen smiling and took the kettle from Lily, starting the tea herself.

"Master Harry is too curious for his own good. Miss Lily should take Miss Ginny's advice," the little house-elf said with delight.

"If anyone knows Harry it'll be Ginny, that's for sure."

Lily watched Ginny with a keen eye, making sure her friend was not depressed. But she found no hints of Ginny attempting to be withdrawn. Instead, she showed all the signs of perfect happiness and complacency. She eagerly spent her time with Harry and Lily at the cottage, asking about Alice and Frank and other Order members and how they've all kept up since she left. Ginny said that soon she should pay Alice and Frank a visit and wondered if Lily might wish to accompany her but she made no conversation about her prolonged capture passed what she had offered on her first day back with them. She also did not mention a word of how she felt about Remus's being gone. Lily wondered if his absence now pained her or cheered her but could not find it in herself to bring up the topic if it had the potential to upset Ginny.

After the first week they all seemed convinced that, though her torture in captivity had been extraordinarily brutal, she had survived. After time, her still-healing wounds and scars would soon stop shocking them. Often, she would be lost in thought and not hear a word that was directed at her. Fearful that she might be remembering something unpleasant, they let it pass as if unnoticed. But otherwise Ginny was as cheerful and conversational as ever.

On an evening when no one was engaged to be out for the Order, everyone sat comfortably in the living room at the cottage after having dinner together. It'd been a long time since nearly all the group were able to dine together and without interruption. Harry sat on the floor surrounded by his many toys and the adults were circled around him, lounging on the sofas.

"Gin! Gin!" Harry begged, and Ginny scooped him up in her arms.

Peter raised his brows. "Does anyone else here think he knows?"

"That's what I said!" Sirius argued.

"That's ridiculous," Ginny answered but cooed to the boy anyways. As had become usual, Harry sat contentedly in Ginny's lap and often fell asleep on her chest until she was obliged to go home and put him in his crib. After all, a one year old got very tired out after a long day of playing.

"I wonder what sort of adventures Harry will get up to when he's got the Cloak. How old were you when your dad finally handed it down?" Sirius asked James wistfully.

James shrugged. "He never really formally gave it to me. He let me play with it as a kid and just didn't say anything when I packed it away for school. But I think school, you know, when he turns eleven. That'll be a good time."

"You're going to give an eleven year old boy the most powerful Invisibility Cloak of all time?" Lily asked disbelievingly. "The potentially most important and adventurous eleven year old there can be?"

"Well it isn't as though we haven't got a spare," Regulus said with a grin. "You won't misuse it, will you Harry?" he asked the boy and he climbed over from Ginny to Regulus to play with the buttons on his jacket.

"There's a special reason we've got two," Lily said sternly.

"You're welcome," Ginny joked.

"Lily," James attempted to reason, "the Cloak got me out of a lot of really tight spots at Hogwarts."

"Tight spots you would never have been in if it weren't for the encouragement of that thing. It's the ultimate safety net that you, as will Harry, use to your advantage."

"Honestly Lily, it got Harry out of a lot of really tight spots that he was forced into. Harry will more times than not use this Cloak for better purposes than the Marauder's ever did," Ginny reasoned. "He faced Voldemort many times with the Cloak on hand, and I would imagine it worked well to his advantage to have it."

"I suppose you're right."

"Hey, maybe the Cloaks will be useful when we go looking for Remus," Sirius added as an aside. Ginny looked curiously at them both and Lily glanced back at her to make sure the mention of Remus didn't affect her.

"I'd rather keep one with Ginny and Lily just in case," James answered.

"What do you mean go looking for Remus?" Peter asked uncertainly. "Surely if he's gone there's a good reason for it."

"Don't be so naïve Peter," James said.

"Why are you so eager to find him anyways?" Ginny asked, siding with Peter. She was unwilling to mention that she had much apprehension about their next meeting and wished to postpone it as much as possible. But rather than garnering her friends' sympathies they all gazed astonished at her, James looking insulted and Lily rather hurt.

"It's obvious he's the traitor," Sirius said, somewhat passionately. "We need to find him before he gives away any of our secrets. We can't let him give Lily and James away."

It had never occurred to her that anyone would think of Remus as a traitor. Even now, after being abandoned by him, she had every confidence that Remus was as loyal as ever, though apparently not to her. Ginny had quite forgotten that Sirius had developed a distrust for Remus, for whatever the reason, back then and it was not entirely surprising that he would once more, especially considering the new circumstances revolving around her.

"First off, Remus would not be able to betray Lily and James specifically because they're not currently under the Fidelius Charm. Secondly, I know he hasn't been in contact with any Death Eaters to give them information anyways."

"How?"

"Because I just spent the last three months being tortured by Bellatrix asking for answers that, if Remus were handing information to the other side, he would have already given them. I can be certain that wherever Remus is, it isn't passing information on the Order. Plus, he was with me for over a year and couldn't possibly know enough about the Order to inform on us anyways. And if he were going to betray Lily and James he would've done that by now too."

Lily sighed with relief.

"You've got a point," Sirius admitted. "You trust him still, even after what he's done to you?"

"A relationship alone is difficult. A relationship anchored down by horcrux hunting is impossible. I, of anyone, can attest to that. Twice. Harry broke things off with me entirely before leaving. I was more selfish and dragged Remus along with me."

"Don't you blame yourself for his faults," Regulus lectured.

"I blame the horcruxes."

They were all silent for a moment, quieted by the gravity of the subject. They were all worried about Remus, wherever he was. Even Peter was fidgeting around in his seat uncomfortably.

"On a lighter note, I was thinking," Sirius began, and half the group rolled their eyes.

"That's always a bad sign," Ginny teased and the group laughed with her.

"Very clever, very clever," he replied. "But really, I'm curious. Days ago, when we were all in a rage about you being tortured –"

Everyone but Sirius quieted.

"- you'd said you'd gotten your revenge on Bellatrix."

Regulus gave his brother a pointed look and shook his head.

Ginny looked around and saw that they were trying to protect her, trying not to upset her. "It's ok. I'm quite alright. We can talk about it," she assured them. "I know you've all been tiptoeing around me but you don't need to. I just talked about it a second ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," she answered and turned to Sirius. "You want to know what I did to Bellatrix?"

He nodded and everyone in the room seemed a bit more eager. Lily leaned forward and James sat at the very edge of his seat.

Ginny smiled at her own ingenuity, even at a time when she was so destitute and low. Yes, it was dark what she'd done, but all things considered she wasn't much grieved by it. War was war after all. "Bellatrix adores her knife. She's very fond of carving words into her prisoners flesh so I thought that I would return the favor. Right on her chest." Lily blanched and she easily waved it off. "Tell me you're not compassionate for her? But she was unconscious at the time, I'm not that gruesome. But I was also quite deranged at the time."

"What did you write?" James begged to know.

"It was one of the things I thought about when I was all alone, after she carved 'blood-traitor' over my back. I think it's one of my more clever moments. I wrote '_toujours purin_.'"

Sirius and Regulus burst into laughter and Harry too began to laugh. Lily, James, and Peter looked quizzically between themselves and then back at Ginny, needing her to explain.

"_Toujours pur_ is the Black family motto. It is a French phrase that, not surprisingly, means 'Always pure.' Bellatrix naturally has a keen affection for the motto."

"So what does _toujours purin_ mean?" Lily asked over Sirius's bark of a laugh.

Regulus chimed in. "Toujours purin means 'Always liquid manure.'"

Lily slapped a hand to cover her grin and James and Peter began laughing too. When Sirius could catch his breath he managed to say, "I'll send some turtle necks to my dear cousin," which had them all laughing again.

* * *

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	46. Grimmauld Place

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Chapter 46 – Grimmauld Place

Woken by a soft nudge the next morning, Ginny opened her eyes to see Regulus crawling onto her bed beside her. He sat with his back against the headboard and his arms folded. She rolled onto her side and snuggled into the side of his leg.

"Morning. Time to wake up."

"Five more minutes," she grumbled.

"I wish I could give you the rest of eternity. But you need to eat. And Sirius and I need to get to Headquarters soon so we thought we'd bring you with us. You could spend the day there and see the rest of the Order members you've neglected to call on since you've been back. Everyone's eager to lay hands on you."

"I'll meet you there in an hour," she said groggily.

"You can't. Dumbledore's Secret Keeper. He's meeting us specifically for you."

"But sleep…" she said without much conviction and Regulus chuckled.

"Oh come on, Gin, humor me. There's something we want to show you there anyways."

She forced herself out of bed and began to change out of her pajamas, still half asleep. Any modesty she could've saved over the last couple weeks living with the boys had been entirely lost. Since Regulus and Sirius were so used living alone they'd had a bit of trouble altering their ways with a girl around. But she could've cared less. Eventually, walking around half dressed was no shocking thing.

"Do you ever think the scars will go away?" Regulus asked, eyeing the words on her back with concern. A dark look washed over his features at the thought of how she received them.

"Probably not. At least not the magical ones," Ginny answered simply. "The ones from the knife might, after a while, fade. But I wouldn't put it passed your endearing cousin to have jinxed her own knife to create permanent damage."

"If you'd let me I'd go kill her now," Regulus complained, as if killing Bellatrix Lestrange was easy. She rolled her eyes while folding her clothes.

"You and Sirius both."

"I still don't see why you won't let us."

Ginny turned on him just as she'd pulled her jeans up.

"You're joking. You might underestimate her power but I don't. Sirius died fighting her –"

"But if we go together – "

"Then as many other Death Eaters will be there to back her up. I will die myself before I lose either of you, have I made myself clear?" Ginny told him, on the verge of hysteria.

Regulus stood and embraced her. "All right, all right calm down. Don't get you knickers in a wad."

"Promise me you won't go out and do anything stupid," she demanded.

"Again? Fine." He put one hand to his heart and the other up in pledge. "I promise not to do anything stupid. Feel better?"

"Much," she said, throwing on an old shirt and sweater.

Sirius grinned at them when they emerged from Ginny's room together. "Morning you two."

"Shut it Sirius."

"He's only jealous," Regulus said with a wink and Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"Breakfast is on the table but eat it quick. Dumbledore won't like it if we're late."

"Since when does Dumbledore bring down the iron fist?" Ginny asked, eating her plate of eggs.

Sirius shrugged. "The man's a busy man. Who knows?"

Together they Apparated to the street where Ginny knew the Manor was but unlike before, she could not see it. They weren't kept waiting long. Moments later Peter appeared and he held out a note to Ginny. She read the address which was scrawled in Dumbledore's handwriting and the headquarters appeared where it ought to be, grand and beautiful like she'd remembered.

"So much for arriving early," Ginny said opening the gate to the grounds and walking through.

"Dumbledore had some business to deal with early this morning," Peter explained, lighting the note aflame with his wand and letting it smolder until it was dust. "He sends his apologies but is glad you are safe."

"Morning Ginny," Lily greeted when they entered the kitchen. "You ready to see the living room?"

They all seemed so eager to show her whatever it was that she simply allowed them to drag her along.

Ginny entered the living room and gaped at what she saw. Potter Manor had changed drastically since she had last been there. The desks and research space that had been designed were all removed and in their place was a huge mat over the floor, clearly meant for dueling practice. Books of varying subjects relevant to dueling, spells and charms, and defensive magic lined the walls. It reminded Ginny very much of the Room of Requirement during her fourth year when they secretly practiced defensive magic. This was most likely of Lily's doing.

Over the far wall was an enormous draping tapestry. It hung from as high as the ceiling and fell right down to the floor and it depicted the entirety of Britain. The map was detailed, labeling the cities and locations that were familiar to them with small illustrations. She could see London at the bottom right with small drawings of Diagon Alley and the Ministry. From the city was a lightly curved line that led all the way up to Scotland, where Hogsmeade was. No doubt that was the route the Hogwarts Express took through the country to chauffeur the students to the castle, which was drawn next to the illustration of the little town. There were other labeled points of interest, such as the mark not too far west of London noted "Malfoy Manor" and another in the center of the map with the label "Riddle House." Her eyes glazed passed the notes of Lestrange Manor and Snape's home, which were not too far from one another. There were dozens of marks.

But not the size nor the detail of the tapestry had so fervently dumbfounded Ginny than the ingenuity that could naturally be attributed to no one but Marauders. Because scattered all over the map were dozens of tiny little feet with little scrolled labels following them around. She easily saw that the people labeled were only Death Eaters or others associated with them. Bellatrix was currently in her home and Ginny could only imagine the poor soul she was torturing now.

"It's brilliant isn't it?" Sirius asked. "It was Regulus's idea. Took a while to get some traction on producing it but it's been dead useful."

Ginny approached it closely for further examination, which she did in silence. With a small jolt, she recognized the footsteps labeled "Tom Riddle." How on earth they'd managed to find a way to track him was beyond her imagination and she shuddered at how difficult that task must've been to accomplish.

Lily misinterpreted her quiet curiosity for sadness or perhaps disappointment because she came and placed a hand on her back consolingly.

"We decided not to put any of the Order on here so that, if in the case Headquarters was sacked, they wouldn't be able to use the tapestry against us," she told Ginny reassuringly. "If we'd known where you were…"

"Don't be silly, Lily. This _is_ brilliant. It's incredible. I can't believe it's even real," she said, tracing after Voldemort's footsteps with her finger. "And you're right about that. There's no way to turn it off, like the Marauder's Map? No '_mischief managed_' or anything?"

Regulus shook his head. "Only a permanent fail safe. Feindfyre."

"You're being dramatic," Lily countered. "Any sort of fire will do, as long as it burns the map."

"Emergency only. Understandable."

"It isn't perfect though. It may show Malfoy in London but that means he could be anywhere in London or a certain radius around the area," Sirius said, pointing out Lucius Malfoy's feet and circling around it with his hand. "Regardless, it helps us know their general location and if they're somewhere spotty we can find out if they're up to something."

Ginny nodded and after a few moments asked, "Where does he go?"

They saw her finger still over Tom Riddle's name.

"He doesn't go anywhere much. Although I daresay he has plenty of people to move for him," Sirius answered with some chagrin.

"They seem to always attend to him instead of the other way around. Makes sense, you know, with his arrogance and all. Why should he have to lift a finger to Apparate when he could force someone else to," Regulus added. "He leaves his little alcove of a hideout whenever he's in the mood to kill someone for no apparent reason. We've seen a correlation with his movements and random Muggle deaths."

Lily gave a look. "More often it hasn't been for no apparent reason. He's personally killed three Order members in the last five months and we still never found Caradoc. Voldemort may have been killing for the fun of it before but now he has an agenda and clearly we're the targets," she said darkly. "Just seeing how often we've encountered him ourselves."

Though Ginny had not encountered Voldemort herself, she felt that of her friends she might've seen the most of him. Or at least the darkest parts of him.

Ginny looked up at the tapestry once more and thought to herself how brilliant her friends were. She was very impressed with Regulus. Fleetingly she thought how he really did have the best qualities of each of her brothers. Bill's ingenuity, the twins' nerve, Ron's heart.

"We should probably head out now Reg," Sirius suggested, interrupting her thoughts. "The morning is the best time to go. Death Eaters like to sleep in too."

"Most likely."

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

Regulus pointed to a dot on the map. One set of feet was there labelled "Walburga Black" right in the center of London.

"Grimmauld Place? But why?"

"Family reunion of course," Sirius answered sardonically. "I haven't seen mum in years!"

"Oh hush you. Regulus?"

"We've noticed a few Death Eaters in the area and we think that's where they've been. And we'd like to figure out their purpose. Our parents, however supportive of Voldemort and his opinions, were not ones to be overtly involved. To our knowledge, neither of them are actually Death Eaters themselves and it seems odd that our mum should play host to them without a reason."

"We're hoping that by sending Sirius and Regulus, Walburga might hesitate to fight against them," Lily said and Sirius snorted.

"Maybe she'd hesitate for Regulus but I'll be she's itching to give me a good jinx. Perhaps a curse," he said pretending to look thoughtful. "I'm actually quite looking forward to it."

"Sirius, you're not supposed to egg them on. Dumbledore wants it to be civil."

"And sending Sirius is a good idea to accomplish civility?" Peter asked with brows raised. Ginny smiled. "Dumbledore must be getting on in years."

Sirius pointed at Peter. "You see, even Peter knows. Being civil with my parents is like enjoying a massage from a cheese grater."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know but it sounds unpleasant!"

"I'll go with you," Ginny offered and they all gave her an uncertain look. She sighed. "I'm not going to spontaneously combust outside of the confines of the cottage and the flat. But I can keep Sirius in check."

Sirius snorted again and Ginny flicked her wand. The next snarky comment Sirius was about to make was silenced and Regulus grinned.

"That'll work."

Still, Lily shook her head. "I think you should wait for James."

"I know Grimmauld Place better than James. In fact, I doubt James has ever been there." Ginny looked at Sirius for confirmation and he nodded. "I've been in nearly every room in that house. Having me there, if it comes to a fight, will be an advantage."

* * *

Hours later, the three of them were perched by the bushes across the street from the house, watching. No movement could be detected from this far away but that didn't mean there was nothing going on within. They looked around the street and found it pretty deserted but that could've been normal these days. Muggle or not, no one felt right outside. Ginny could see why. The sky was a dark grey even though it was the middle of the day. It wasn't raining but a general air of hopelessness and depression hung over them and she wondered what the Muggles were making of the nasty environment.

"It's probably protected. Our father wouldn't leave the house without protection, not in this violent climate," Regulus said.

"You don't think he'd be too proud, or think himself above an attack?" Sirius asked.

"He might've been a snob but he was never naïve," Regulus answered and Sirius frowned.

"If it is protected, which it most likely will be, it isn't by the Fidelius Charm," Ginny noticed, pointing out the number "12" in gold numbers beside the door.

"Our best bet is through my window then," Regulus said. "Mum magically barred up Sirius's room when he left so that if he'd forgotten anything he wouldn't be able to come back for it."

"Wouldn't have stopped me. Besides, I made sure I had everything," Sirius said bitterly.

"Which one is your window?" Ginny asked, trying to keep Sirius on track even though he seemed determined to find a way to insult his parents with every sentence.

Regulus pointed to the top window on the left, then indicated that he would go first. Ginny and Sirius followed after him.

He climbed the gutter pipe and tried to open the window, tapping it lightly with his wand. A red spark met his wand, making him lean back suddenly but otherwise nothing extravagant happened. Sirius held his wand higher, ready to catch his brother if he should fall. Regulus tapped it again, attempting a silent spell and the unlocked the window. Cautiously, he climbed in, holding a palm back for them to wait. After a moment they heard, "It's good. Come on."

Sirius helped Ginny up first. Regulus took her wrist and pulled her through and Sirius jumped through after.

Green and silver were everywhere. From his carpet to his bedspread to the Black family crest painted above his four poster bed, everything was Slytherin and pure. There were some pinned newspaper clippings about Death Eaters and Voldemort.

"Blimey mate," Sirius said under his breath.

Seeing that Regulus was little embarrassed Ginny moved toward the door to keep both Sirius's and her own attention away from the overdone décor.

"Look down the hall first," Ginny advised. "Then Regulus should go under the Invisibility Cloak downstairs first so that we're not pidgeonholed up here if your mum does have unexpected visitors. Regulus can sneak around to the foyer because it's likely she's in the kitchen. It'll be easy to surround her that way."

"You know Gin, that's a little freaky," Sirius said and Regulus nodded in agreement. "You know this house better than I do."

Ginny shrugged and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak, wrapping it around Regulus. Very quietly, he went downstairs. Sirius waited before going down himself but made enough noise that Walburga Black, suspicious came out of the kitchen, wand drawn.

"Who is in my house?!" she shrieked, turning in a semi-circle, not seeing Regulus by the door to her left and almost missing Sirius right in front of her. A red light burst from her wand instinctively and Sirius easily blocked it. "You!" she said scathingly.

"Mum. As usual, it's dreadful to see you."

"You vile, insolent, ungrateful child! How dare you enter this house!" Walburga Black screamed and Ginny hadn't realized until now that she would recognize the voice. But of course it'd been screaming at her for years at the Order Headquarters when she was young.

"Vile and insolent? That's it? I had hoped for worse."

"That's nothing. She's done better. You should've heard her after you left at sixteen," Regulus said, removing the Cloak. Walburga turned on him but did not attack. She looked back and forth between her sons, sending one cursory glance at Ginny before turning her wand back on Sirius. "I thought her head might explode."

"Probably the only day she gave me more attention than you."

"What have you done to my lovely little boy!? Regulus, he's tainted your heart!"

Sirius, Regulus, and Ginny shared a dumbfounded expression before bursting into laughter. Walburga was so stunned by this unexpected reaction that her wand arm lowered half an inch in uncertainty. Regulus was nearly doubled over.

"It's me you should point the finger at," Ginny said. "I was the one that convinced him from the beginning that joining the Death Eaters was a terrible idea. I convinced him to leave home. In fact, Sirius told him not to!"

Now Walburga turned her wand to Ginny and in the same instant, as if her wand tip had moved them magically, Sirius and Regulus moved to stand in front of her.

"You won't hurt her," Regulus said fiercely, holding up his own wand now. That came as another shock to Walburga, who stepped back at the idea that her little boy would consider hexing his own mother over some girl.

Walburga turned to Sirius. "You destroyed us. You destroyed this family! This," she shouted pointing to Regulus and Ginny behind him, "is your fault! You should be ashamed! It's all well and done that you destined yourself to death but to drag your brother along with you."

"You planning on killing us?" Sirius asked sarcastically, but they all recognized the challenge he presented her.

"I don't have to. The Dark Lord will do it for me. Joining the Order of the Phoenix is death sentence enough. Don't you see? You can't win. The Dark Lord is too powerful and rightfully so," she spat.

"Is that why you've got Death Eaters coming here? You think they've got the right idea killing all these people? You've read the papers! Is it okay with you that he kills for the fun of it?" Sirius shouted.

"Death is a natural thing of life."

"Are you so convinced? There's nothing natural about _murder_," Regulus countered.

"The ways he achieves his means are inconsequential. When he has succeeded the witches and wizards everywhere will be free to rule."

"Only if their blood is pure. Witches a wizards with muggle parentage will be nothing."

Ginny quickly realized that their banter, probably years of pent up anger and energy, and which was only escalating with tension as it continued, would get them absolutely nowhere. She wondered at how Dumbledore could possibly have believed that sending Regulus and Sirius alone would've accomplished anything. Perhaps he suspected that Ginny would volunteer to join them. Either way, she figured it was time to let the boys cool off and talk woman to woman.

Stepping through the guard they'd created in front of her she tried to look as non-threatening as possible.

"Enough. We're not here to argue with you," she said through her teeth, mostly to the boys. Regulus shut right up, but Sirius had a few more things to say before his brother punched him in the shoulder and silenced him. "I know you believe that witches and wizards of pure blood are better than half-bloods and muggleborns. And you're probably right."

"Wait a min-"

"Sirius hush," Ginny said with a flick of her wand, silencing him again. Walburga gave her a look of reverence as if Ginny had accomplished something she'd been wanting to do for very long time: discipline her children. The stout woman took a step back and dropped her wand to her side, almost indignant. "You are a mother. You must have some compassion. Do you really think, inferior or not, muggles and muggle-borns deserve to die? Or worse, be tortured?"

"If they won't learn what is best than they need to be taught," she answered, though less confident than she'd been before.

Ginny nodded and she could feel the heat from Sirius's fuming beside her but she ignored him.

"What about pure-bloods? Should they be tortured? Murdered?" Now Walburga hesitated. "My blood is pure and look what he did to me," Ginny said, showing her stomach. She recoiled.

"Bella did that," Regulus said quietly and Walburga's teeth clenched. They could see the veins in her neck strain but whether from fear, anger, or shock Ginny could not tell.

"I escaped but only because they wanted information from me. They contemplated killing me, multiple times. You think You-Know-Who cares who he kills? Do you really believe he would hesitate to kill you? I've seen him kill his own followers simply because he was angry, no other provocation. I've seen families on his side be ripped apart at his wand hand. You can blame Sirius all you want for destroying your family but it wasn't Sirius who destroyed your family, it was him!"

"If you help him and things don't go his way…" Regulus warned.

"Then things better go his way," Walburga said harshly. "Now get out."

Ginny nodded.

"What have you done? You have to tell us!" Sirius said but Ginny took hold of his arm and began pulling him away. Both of them began to argue again but Ginny, silent and unwavering, dragged them to the door. They wouldn't Apparate with her so she grabbed both of their hands and brought them side-along.

They landed by Potter Manor, just outside the confines of its protection, and Ginny immediately began walking toward the house.

"What the hell Ginny? We didn't get any information from her," Regulus complained loudly.

"We got plenty of information."

"I don't know which batty old crazed woman you were listening to, but I didn't hear anything useful from Walburga Black except that she helped Voldemort and wouldn't tell us about it."

"She didn't have to. I figured it out." She turned on them when they reached the gate. "She helped Voldemort – "

"And then made us leave!" Sirius interrupted.

"So that you wouldn't be involved," Ginny countered, throwing both boys into silence. "She made us leave to protect you from what she's done."

"What's she done?"

Ginny sighed. She could only go with a hunch but she was pretty sure she was right. "Didn't you realize Kreacher wasn't there?"

The front door to the house opened and they heard a gasp of relief. Lily and Peter stood there with grateful expressions and Lily ran out half way to meet them.

"Thank Merlin you're all right," she said, throwing her arms around Ginny. She accepted the hug but confusedly. Lily pulled away to explain. "He was there. He moved just before you left, it's a wonder you missed him. We didn't realize from the map!"

"Is he still on the move?" Sirius asked, running into the house.

They followed him back into the living room where James was already looking at the map, watching. Ginny saw the small dot with Tom Riddle's label moving rather swiftly across the country away from London.

"Where's he going?" Peter asked.

And Ginny knew she was right. "He's going to the cave."

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	47. The Fidelius Charm

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Chapter 47: The Fidelius Charm

Lily stroked Ginny's back with one hand and held her red hair back with the other while she retched again into the toilet. She hadn't been able to keep anything down for days and now Lily was at the point of dragging her to St. Mungo's. But at every suggestion Ginny remained steadfastly stretched out on the tile of the bathroom floor.

"Lily, I need to talk to you," she heard her husband say from outside of the bathroom.

Ginny surfaced after a few dry heaves and caught some air but was too tired to speak. Lily flushed the toilet and ran hot water over a towel before placing it on Ginny's forehead.

"I'll be right back ok?" Lily asked, and she didn't leave until she was sure Ginny had given her a nod. She closed the bathroom door behind her. Peter had sat by the door and Regulus pacing in front of it and both gave her their full attention.

"Is she ok?"

"No, she's not ok," Lily said, annoyed. "She hasn't had a proper meal in days, she's dehydrated and she refuses to go to St. Mungo's so unless Madam Pomfrey makes house calls I don't see much alteration to her health."

Regulus looked frantic.

"Do we know what's causing it?" Peter asked.

"I've no idea. She's been fine for such a while after her return, but I can only imagine it being a nervous reaction to torture. Unless she's truly sick. I need you to write to Dumbeldore and tell him to send Madam Pomfrey if she can get away."

James nodded. "He actually just wrote to us. Dumbledore has gotten notice that Voldemort is planning an attack. On us. That's why he's been away."

Silent for a moment, Lily considered this new information. "Okay, what do we do?"

"Dumbledore wants to put us under the Fidelius by Saturday at the latest."

They heard Ginny start up again and Regulus stiffened. Lily turned to the door and then back to her husband.

"Organize it. I have to tend to Ginny."

James looked as though he too wanted to take care of his friend but knowing Ginny would be under spectacular care with his wife, he allowed himself to get to work. "We'll get it done tomorrow. No time to waste."

"I'll go find a way to get Madam Pomfrey here," Peter said and then rushed off hurriedly.

Regulus hated that Ginny was sick and knew it was because of the locket. Technically, it was the last one that she hadn't destroyed and the idea that it was still out there scared her sick. He was glad that Lily and James hadn't realized it yet, or were taking it in stride if they had.

The combination of the locket being at large and the new information that Voldemort was planning to attack was staggering. But if the Fidelius Charm worked as it should, there wouldn't be a problem at all. Perhaps if the locket could be taken out of the group's focus, they could just deal with it later.

Madam Pomfrey wasted no time in arriving at Potter Manor. She gave Ginny a few potions to calm her stomach and another to calm her nerves. Ginny had a high fever and needed to rest.

Meanwhile, James had everything scheduled for the following afternoon.

"Everyone will be present when Dumbledore sets the spell," James was saying to Sirius. "That way no one can blame anyone else if there's a betrayal. No changing our minds."

* * *

Remus was half awake, the back of his forearm partially blocking the afternoon light streaming from the windows. A thin blanket had been lazily strewn on the floor at some point in the night and he reached over with his other hand to grab it without seeing.

"Get up. Remus, get off my couch," Peter said, uncharacteristically stern. He hadn't changed entirely. He was still unobtrusive as ever on most occasions. But somehow, even before Remus had arrived, Peter Pettigrew had grown a backbone. The once small, easily influenced boy, now had a courage that could make Merlin feel shame. Remus hadn't known where the confidence had come from. Certainly, it wasn't by his own influence. He'd been gone for so long. "I'm going to James and Lily's. They're deciding on the Fidelius Charm this afternoon and they want me there."

The Fidelius Charm? Today? Remus bolted upright. They wanted Peter there… Very suddenly Ginny's words were flying back at him a hundred miles per second and Remus grew anxious. Even if Peter had grown more confident he couldn't let James and Lily make the mistake of having him be their Secret Keeper. Though Remus was sure Peter wasn't fighting for the other side, the idea of Peter with the power to betray them still shook him. He stood, pulling on his pants that had lain rumpled on the floor beneath him.

"I'm going with you," he said as Peter watched him with brows raised.

"Fine. But this is about James and Lily. Not you and Ginny."

Remus looked up at Peter, baffled. "I'm not… I mean I don't…"

"I don't care," Peter said simply, and it was clear he was more than annoyed with his tenant. "I'm just letting you know."

The pair left Peter's one bedroom flat by Floo to Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Remus stepped out of the fireplace after Peter and his stomach clenched when he saw Ginny. She walked up to Peter, who embraced her awkwardly. He couldn't get a good look at her over Peter and desired entirely that he would move but he didn't.

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?!" he heard Sirius exclaim, jumping up from a cozy seat beside the fireplace. Remus ripped his eyes from Ginny to hold his arms up in defense.

"Sirius, let him be," Peter said, putting a restraining hand to Sirius's shoulder. That's why he'd remained standing in front of him. To restrain their friends.

"Been on holiday have you?" Sirius roared, pushing against him.

Now, beckoned by Sirius's yelling, James entered the room followed by Regulus. Both of them drew their wands at him. So shocked, Remus could barely utter a few useless sounds of protest.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ginny intervened, stepping between Remus and their wands. His heart soared. With her hands she lowered their wand tips. "Today is far too important for this. Dumbledore should be here momentarily."

Without a glance behind her she stepped between James and Regulus and retired to another room. Remus froze, his heart hanging in midair, his hopes and dreams lingering as they followed Ginny out the door.

"You better damn well keep your mouth shut," Regulus threatened. "I've killed Death Eaters, some I've been related too. You're not much different." He left, following Ginny.

At last, just the Marauders remained.

James and Sirius shared a glance, wordlessly deciding something and Remus knew it was on how to harm him the most. Both he and Peter knew that they could somehow communicate this way, just the two of them, and both of them knew it meant no good now. But Peter did not attempt to defend him, despite keeping his location a secret for all this time. Instead, he stepped aside and let them have full view of him.

"Ginny was captured. She was tortured," James said through his teeth. Remus blanched.

"She was a prisoner at Lestrange Manor. For _three months_," Sirius finished.

"Stay if you must. But rest assured that she can't protect you from us forever."

They walked out, even Peter, and Remus felt shame stronger than any other emotion he'd experienced in his life.

Had what he done been more destructive than helpful? She must loathe him entirely. Clearly, she believed he abandoned her. And that was what he'd done, in anger and fear. But it wasn't he'd meant. He felt as though he were clutching to something with slipping fingers, like he could breathe but the air was useless to him. His head spun.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and reminded himself why he was there before following them into the kitchen.

Lily did not regard him as negatively as her husband had but he knew she was more reserved when she hugged him than she'd been long before. He removed himself from the group, opting to sit in a distant corner, not to disturb the friends he had made strangers of. Remus did not approach Ginny and he did not expect her to approach him. But he watched her steadily. At first he'd thought surely that they had been lying just to cause him pain. Angry as they were, they would decide on the easiest of targets: his heart.

But there was no lie; that was plain to see. She had a thick blanket over her shoulders and she looked sick. But he could see under the blanket when she moved. She'd grown thin so that her bones were angular and pointy beneath skin that stretched like sandpaper over her. She had a slight limp in her gait and he noticed that she rested a lot, choosing to sit though everyone else stood, or else leaning against a wall or counter. She looked tired but there was something else about her façade that pressed on his nerves, something he could not detect.

As the group waited, Remus became more anxious and agitated, wanting to talk to Ginny more than ever. He glanced over at Peter many times as he spoke to James and Sirius, who no doubt were questioning him as to why he kept Remus's whereabouts a secret. They didn't look angry at Peter like they had to him.

Remus found his opportunity when Ginny left the room, largely unnoticed by everyone else. He followed her, hoping his movements went overlooked as well.

"Ginny," he called to her lightly when they were alone in the hallway.

She turned slowly and he couldn't tell if it was willingly or from a cold politeness. She just stared and said nothing. He saw her face up close for the first time in months. She was tired indeed. She was sick, and scared, and broken.

"What are we going to do about Peter?" He thought she flinched and he could understand why. That was the last topic they'd discussed before he left.

"You're not going to do anything. You mustn't tell them. James will wring his neck. You know how he is about loyalty," she said calmly, not insinuating anything but Remus could feel she was thinking it.

"Like Peter did to him?"

"That was a different time."

"Is it?"

Ginny wondered at how years ago, she'd been the pessimist and Remus the encouraging one.

"That's enough," she said strongly.

"Enough to elect him their Secret Keeper?" Remus whispered hoarsely.

With hesitation she replied, "He's different. Surely you've noticed that since you've been hiding out with him."

Remus accepted the sting but persisted. "But you still wouldn't be comfortable, just in case?"

She opened her mouth as if preparing to loose several unkind words to him but thought better of it. "It doesn't matter anyways. I've got it handled," she asserted instead, beginning to walk away.

"How?"

But she kept walking, ignoring him.

* * *

It did not take long for the Headmaster to arrive and when he did they gathered outside on the back patio. James stood and held an infant with dark hair that Remus could only assume was Harry. Ginny sat in a wicker seat below him, holding her hand up to graze the child's bare foot with her fingers.

"This is the moment we've been waiting for. We need to place this cottage under a powerful protective charm. We need to put you under protection, effective immediately. I'm sure you're all familiar with the Fidelius Charm?" the venerable old man asked.

All of them nodded.

"Lily, James, you'll have to choose a Secret Keeper. I'd like to offer myself, if you'll have it," Dumbledore said.

"Lily and I have discussed this often and we think that it should be a friend. We want Sirius to be our Keeper," James said, bouncing Harry on his hip and looking warmly at his best friend.

Sirius stood and patted James on the back. He played with Harry's dark hair. "There is no one more loyal to the two of you than there can be," he told them. But he too was solemn. "Bellatrix and Snape know too much, they know us too well. I'll be the first person they'll think of going to." Remus saw Ginny straighten at the names and closed his eyes with shame. "I would never think of saying anything…so they'll kill me and everyone else will become Secret Keepers and you can't completely trust everyone."

"Peter then," James said shortly. Remus glanced at Ginny who tensed visibly. While Peter had shown no signs of betrayal since Remus's watch over him and had actually grown braver, it wasn't enough to let them risk it.

"I won't do it," Peter said seriously, standing too. Ginny looked at him and by his expression she knew she was not the only one staring at him with shock. "I betrayed you two the first time around and I want nothing to do with it this time."

Everyone gasped at this revelation, including Ginny and Remus. "How do you know?" Ginny asked.

"By the way I was treated, like a leper, when you got here. By how loyal Remus and Sirius are, jumping in front of spells for you lot. It was one of the three of us, so I worked it out myself." He sat again, rather subdued. Regulus shifted uncomfortably beside him. Sirius made a comment about loyalty under his breath.

"What about Remus?" Lily suggested quietly.

"I'll do it," Remus said immediately but James scowled and he stood straighter.

"No," he said. "Not a chance. You've already betrayed us once," he said with a fleeting glance at Ginny. "I won't let you do it again." He glared at Remus.

"James, he didn't betray anyone," Lily coaxed. "He is as willing to protect us as any of them."

At that particular moment, everyone gave a sideways glance at Peter, who, if it were possible, shrunk even more into the sofa seat.

"He's had a damn good way of showing it. He's been gone for months. And before that…well he was great at showing how much he _loved_ Harry," James said angrily.

Remus stood. "That has nothing to do with Harry, he's just a baby!"

"And you're a traitor! If you want him to be our Keeper, he'll have to make the Unbreakable Vow to satisfy me. If we're to be wrong about him, at least we'll only be wrong once," he said bitterly.

"James, stop it!" Lily screamed as Harry began to cry. She pulled the baby from his arms and stroked his back soothingly until he calmed down. "James, he's not a traitor. What he did wasn't noteworthy. But we've already discussed that their relationship had nothing to do with Harry, so just drop it. Remember what Ginny said? If he was trying to betray us he would've done it already."

Remus exhaled disbelievingly. Even after everything that happened to her, even after he left her she had still defended him.

"James, you know I love Harry," Ginny interjected, "more than anything. It makes no difference what happened before now. I would rather die than betray you. I'll be your Secret Keeper."

"Don't you think that's a bit dangerous Gin?" James asked. "I mean, you're the one we're all depending on. We can't afford for you to get mixed up in this. You're too important."

"Rubbish. You all know just as much as I do in order to figure it out if something happens to me. And besides, it isn't like you've got any other choice. Sirius and Peter have refused, you refused Dumbeldore, and you don't trust Remus as far as you can throw him. I suppose Regulus could be an option but he's never around and he's always in the mix of things. I'm a much better bet," she reasoned.

"I'd be much more comfortable," Lily said to her husband, attempting to hide her desperation, "with Ginny as our Secret Keeper. I've got nothing against Peter," she went on with a nervous glimpse of him, "but they won't think of Ginny. They know we've barely spoken to her in months, and they won't think we've made her our Secret Keeper. Even Remus would be a bad idea. Ginny is the most trustworthy person we've met in the last four years."

James glanced at Regulus and he turned away. James seemed to interpret this as a bowing out and found that he had no choice. He preferred Ginny over Remus. "Fine," he said and Lily, who no one realized was holding her breath, exhaled.

"No," Remus said, in half-hearted disapproval. "It's too dangerous for her - "

"Don't you tell me how to conduct my business Lupin," Ginny said coldly as she prepared for Dumbledore to say the spell.

Dejected, Remus sat and watched helplessly as Dumbledore gave the incantation. He pointed is wand at the space between James and Ginny and moved his arm in an arc around the house, then made a lasso movement as if throwing the charm over the house with his wand. The air around them glittered for a quick moment before returning to normal, all of them within the spells protection.

Lily and Ginny embraced. Sirius put a hand over James's shoulder reassuringly.

Remus looked over at Peter who shrugged and said, "That's why I didn't tell anyone where you were. Because we're both traitors."

Ginny sat with Dumbledore for a while, privately conversing in the dining room. They talked first about protecting Alice and Frank. Dumbledore assured Ginny that they would have the same protection put over them that the Potter's had. Then she talked about her capture and eventual escape, allowing more detail than she'd provided for her friends. She told him about the horcruxes, told them she had the ones that she'd destroyed. Dumbledore asked her about her health, wondered if he could do anything to abate an illness. She declined. She asked about Hogwarts and he told her there were students that were out of control, that he was doing his best to protect the other students from them.

Regulus sat nearby, not really listening but angry with Dumbledore for having her talk about the darkest parts of her life without a second thought. Remus too waited by the door, though Regulus kept shooting him nasty glares.

Eventually their conversation came to an end and Dumbledore left the cottage to tend to Alice and Frank.

Regulus stood instantly and took Ginny's hand.

"How are you feeling? Do you need to rest? It's been a long day."

"I'm fine," she said, smiling lightly. "It's been quite an afternoon, that's for sure."

"Let's go home."

"You live with Regulus now?" Remus blurted.

Ginny turned back to him and thought about what she could possibly do to cause him pain. It would be so easy to do it. She could simply emphasize that she preferred Regulus to him. She could squeeze Regulus's hand and say nothing at all. Revenge pressed on her heart but for some reason she could not act on it. So instead she said, "I live with both Sirius and Regulus."

Remus nodded, unsure what he could possibly say. They said their goodbyes and Regulus led her to the fireplace. Leaving the rest behind, Peter had followed them.

"Ginny," he called before she stepped into the fireplace and she turned. He closed the door behind them, so it was only the three of them. "He left because of me. Not because of you. Don't be too hard on him. He did it to protect James and Lily. Isn't that the whole goal?"

"Thank you, Peter. I do understand, really. Honestly, it was good that he left. I got more done without him than I would have if he'd stayed," she told him honestly. "Even then, there were other reason's he left. And those are not so easily forgiven."

Mostly, she was talking about herself. She'd been the one to let tell about the Prophecy, and it had been clear Remus didn't like that. But on the other hand, Remus hadn't trusted her judgment.

"One more thing, Ginny. I earnestly hope you don't hold it against me forever."

"Peter, you've more than redeemed yourself this afternoon."

And leaving it at that, she stepped into the fireplace and disappeared.


	48. I Miss You

**Thank you to those of you that reviewed, favorited, and followed. I am much indebted to your readership. :)**

* * *

Chapter 48 - I Miss You

The next morning Ginny and Sirius were left alone in the flat.

"Morning Gin," Sirius called when she crossed the living room into the kitchen. He stood with his back to her at the stove and whatever it was he was making smelled wonderful. She hadn't been able to smell anything without gagging for the past few days and she was starving. "You hungry?"

"Yes," she answered as he placed a full English breakfast in front of her. The eggs were still steaming. "You spoil me."

Sirius shrugged, happy to see that breakfast wasn't sending his friend running to the toilet. "There isn't a person in the world that deserves it more than you. A little R and R after dry bread and sparse sips of water for three months straight is definitely something I can supply, if nothing else."

Ginny loved being around Sirius. During the first few weeks after she'd escaped Lestrange Manor her friends tip toed around the subject of her captivity and she was grateful. Naturally, she hadn't wanted to revisit the subject so soon and was happy to be entirely uninformed and left alone. But she was involved in everything the Order did, so eventually she grew tired of being kept out of the loop.

Lily and Regulus just wanted to protect her. She knew that. But she didn't like having taboo subjects with them. They never asked about her captivity and usually, she never openly shared but mostly because she knew they'd get all concerned and watchful over her. She thought James just didn't want to hear, knowing the truth but wanting to keep the details at bay.

Sirius was the only one that had transitioned so well. Instead of whispering around her, Sirius was flagrant in his inclusion of her. Any time they were discussing something that had to do with the Order or Death Eaters, Sirius rarely hesitated to ask her opinion or let her know the plan. This seemed to have caused a rift or two with the rest of their friends but since when was Sirius ever gentle about reintroducing something into a harsh reality? It seemed perfectly logical to Sirius to ask the one person who's already been through it all, even the worst of it, for advice or wisdom even if it were at the expense of a little of her comfort.

Sirius finished up some extra bacon for himself (he ate like a bear preparing for the winter) and joined her at the kitchen table.

"So where's Regulus?" she asked, mindful of her stomach and taking small bites of her food.

"Off on a mission," he answered with food falling out of his mouth. He was much less conservative with his portion control. "Left early this morning and said he wouldn't be back until late tonight. So it's you and me all day today."

"No mission for you to go on? Not dropping me off at Lily's?"

"Nope," he said. "Lily and James are going through the finer points of remaining beneath the Fidelius. They're practicing emergency situations, just in case. I've got the day off."

Ginny cocked an eyebrow. "Does everybody still believe I need a babysitter? It's been nearly two months since I've been back," she complained.

Sirius frowned and sighed. "No I didn't think so either. If you'd asked me a few days ago it wouldn't have mattered. But after this whole getting sick, and Remus showing up out of the blue, and now that you're their Secret Keeper…"

"I guess plenty has changed," Ginny accepted. "Except Remus being around now means nothing. I've been through breakups before. It's been quite a while."

"Does Harry really count as a breakup?"

"I wasn't talking about Harry."

Sirius raised his brows and grinned. "Quite a harlot back in your Hogwarts days, were you?"

"I don't think harlot is the word I would use, exactly," Ginny said, laughing.

"A harlot never would call herself that of course. But you can be honest with me Ginny, this stays between us."

"What about you? You sure had some womanizing days at school. Jumping from one girl to the next, faces and names blurring in memory."

"I'm not proud of it," Sirius said, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "Alright, I'm at least humbled by it, if anything. I've never really been in a real relationship," he admitted. "Never really met a witch that could occupy my attention for very long."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't see you as the type to date a witch anyways."

"You think I'm the type to date a wizard?" he asked with a chuckle. "I guess I did hang around with James quite a bit back in the day but I never thought that much." He winked. "But really, what do you mean?"

"I think you're too damn stubborn. If you live through this," she said seriously, "I see you marrying a young and kind Muggle girl and destroying her innocence."

Sirius looked up, deep in thought over this wonderful idea, probably considering its viability.

Ginny rolled her eyes again and took both their plates to the sink to wash. Sirius joined her and they cleaned the kitchen together.

"Why aren't you as mad at Remus as the rest of us are?" Sirius asked.

"Don't mistake my silence for complacency. There are simply just more important things to focus on. And I guess I've had a lot more time to get over it."

"But he left you, not us," he argued lightly, wanting her to be mad at him. "We're angry sure. But you seem so untroubled about it."

"I suppose it feels out of place for you. He did what he thought was best. Not best for me, and maybe even not best for himself," she answered thoughtfully, letting the sudsy water run over her plate. "I think he did what he thought was best for his friends. And truly, in this climate…with the cold, and the dark, and a general feeling of terror floating all around…what else could I really ask of him? The whole point of me being thrown back into time was to remedy the lost cause. And he was only helping to preserve the successfulness of that."

"You're astonishingly objective about it," he said, hoping to get more from her. When she didn't say anything he kept on. "I remember when you used to feel helpless about it all. And now you're championing Remus for leaving like everything is all over."

"On the contrary. Everything is just beginning. The Fidelius on James and Lily is a testament to that."

They were silent for a short while and Ginny felt that Sirius was frustrated with her.

"I waited for him to come back," she began. "At first, I simply figured he'd gotten caught up in whatever he'd been doing but then the hours passed and I was still alone. I worried that he'd been caught or captured. I wanted to look for him but I knew if he were on his way back I needed to be there. More hours passed. Given what had happened just prior, I knew he was already upset with me and I with him. We'd just fought. I'd just told him about Peter. And other things… But when I realized he'd really left I became a workaholic." Sirius put down the dish in his hand and listened intently, the tap still running. "And then I was captured and I became blank for a long time. When you're being tortured there isn't anything else you can do, you just block it all away and hope none of it resurfaces ever again. But just about when I was ready to break I realized no one was coming for me. Not Harry, not Remus, not any of you. No one knew where I was. I heard voices in my head. And I cried. Hours, days, I don't know for how long. But I did my mourning, a long time ago."

"Do you still love him?" he asked abruptly.

"I love him now like I love you," she replied simply.

Sirius nodded.

The rest of the day went by more quickly than Ginny had thought. Her subsequent conversations with Sirius were less deep. They heard from Peter, who went with Dumbledore to Alice and Frank's while they had the Fidelius placed on them. They lazed around for the better portion of the day and for dinner they ordered some Muggle take out.

"It's better this way you know," he said glancing up from his sweet and sour chicken. "He'll be hurt regardless but it will ease the pain a bit."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, putting down her chopsticks.

"You know, Remus. He's going to want you back."

"Like I said, it doesn't really matter."

They waited around for Regulus to return but they waited in vain.

Regulus did not come back that night and Sirius and Ginny stayed up, worried. It was difficult not to know and to simply just wait, neither of them really being able to leave to go look for him. Even if Ginny remaining alive wasn't made as important because she was now Lily and James's Secret Keeper, they didn't have any clue where Regulus had gone, or which Death Eater he'd gone to follow.

Sirius had graduated from tea to fire whiskey around midnight and just after two in the morning a tawny owl knocked his beak on the living room window.

Untying the letter from his foot as quickly as possible Sirius hoped it held news of Regulus. If he were going to come home much later than he'd anticipated he'd send word.

Ginny watched Sirius's spirits drop as he silently read the note. He looked up at her sorrowfully and she nearly panicked.

"It's about the McKinnons," he said softly.

Half of Ginny blew out a breath of relief, the other half filled with grief. Marlene had been a friend.

"Oh no," she said, eyes welling up with tears. She sighed deeply and poured herself a glass of firewhiskey. "All of them?"

"I think so," he answered somberly. "It's from Lily. She says they were ambushed."

"Only Marlene was in the Order though. Her parents knew nothing… her children…"

"It isn't like they curb their appetite for killing just for the elderly and for children. I imagine she was questioned on the Order's business and she wouldn't give anything up."

"Oh Merlin. Where's Regulus?" she asked with increasing concern.

Four hours later, just as the sun began to peak over the horizon, they heard the door open and both, suspicions high, took out their wands.

"Blimey, you're still up?" Regulus asked.

Ginny, restraining herself from flying over to him, said, "How many times did you ask Sirius Black to accept you as his brother after James Potter allowed you to stay at his Manor?"

"Thirty-seven," he answered and he looked back and forth between Ginny and his brother, questioning their vigilance.

Instead of dropping her wand Ginny hexed him with her famous Bat-Bogey hex and angrily watched as he tried to sort himself out before Sirius rolled his eyes and cleaned up the mess with a flick of his own wand.

"Merlin, Ginny, it's me! I answered right, what was that for?"

"It's daybreak!" she exclaimed as if this was a perfectly adequate explanation.

"Where have you been? You could've sent word you'd be late," Sirius scolded.

Regulus evaluated the unusual level of concern on his brother's expression and Ginny's high alarm.

"What's happened?"

"The McKinnons were murdered late last night."

"And we were worried sick about you!"

"I'm just fine. I said I was going to be in late," he said calmly.

Sirius stepped forward. "The sun is rising. If you said you'd be in early I'd have understood."

"I'm sorry. Things got out of hand."

Ginny shook her head but hugged him. "What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," he answered.

"I'm not a child and I can handle it. Don't save this conversation until I've gone to bed so you can talk about it with everyone else," Ginny countered.

"No, it's because I'm exhausted."

Sirius pointed to the hall. "It isn't an excuse. Go to sleep and we'll _all _talk about it when we wake up."

* * *

The somber mood stayed with them throughout the day. They each had trouble sleeping and sometime mid-afternoon they collectively decided to go to the Cottage. There too, the mood was melancholy to say the least. Lily's eyes were bright red and even Peter was rather subdued. Remus was silent for the majority, shooting sad glimpses at Ginny every now and then, hoping she was handling the difficult news all right.

He longed to talk to her and when he was just about ready to give up on it she spoke to him. He had gone into the kitchen for a glass of water and she found him there alone.

"How are you holding up?" she asked gently, somewhat casually.

So shocked by this unexpected change of treatment, he at first could not find words to reply. But when he gathered his wits he said, "It's hard to believe. But I feel like the rest are handling it better… I feel like I shouldn't be so shocked."

Ginny nodded. "We never experienced the death of the other Order members really. We were away. All of that was so distant to us but now it hits like a wave. I know how you feel."

Incredulous that she could speak of to the two of them as a group, recalling probably painful memories, Remus simply agreed with her.

"I wish there was something we could do. But there's no one to go to. I feel so helpless." She held back tears and Remus tentatively moved toward her. He was relieved when she allowed him to embrace her. She hugged him back and for a short moment it was like nothing had changed. Death can be a magical thing sometimes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into her hair. She stood straight and took a slight step away from him, but looked as though she was willing to hear more. "I'm so sorry, for everything. I was stupid. I was insecure and I hated that. It was the ring, I swear…it would whisper to me. Voldemort, he kept asking me questions about our relationship, speculating about it and telling me things…"

"This is not about us," she interjected unsuccessfully.

"And after a while I started to believe them myself…they seemed so logical. He said you loved me because of our relationship when you were younger and I was older…He said you looked up to me and treated me like an adult because of who I was to you before you came here, your teacher instead of a friend. That you didn't pity me because you were too young to."

"Remus, I treated you like an adult because for a while, you acted like an adult. I look up to you because you're taller than me, as well as considerably more intelligent than I am. I didn't pity you because you didn't pity yourself and that's why I loved you."

Small tears fell down Remus's face as he observed Ginny's blank stare back at him. The past tense nearly brought him to his knees. "I realize that now. I'm so sorry for hurting you and not trusting in you and –"

"You hurt me because you didn't trust in your own heart," she said simply.

Remus took the beat and nodded, trying to hold himself together in front of her solidity. "I'm sorry for not being everything I could've been with you. I would do anything to make it up to you, to have you back. Please. Anything…" But he trailed off. Her hard stare already told him the answer he'd already gotten.

"It's too late Remus."

"Please, Ginny, please give me another chance. Let me show you who I've become, how I've changed. I'm stronger now; I'm not a coward anymore."

"You were never a coward."

"Ginny, please. You know I'll do anything for you. I would die for you! I love you."

Claims that were once endearing for her to listen to had become more painful than a screaming mandrake. She clenched her teeth. "Exactly," she said distantly. "If you want to do anything at all for me, leave me alone." She turned on the spot and starkly walked away.

Remus fell to his knees now, unable to stand, unable to call to her, to beg her to come back again. He buried his face in his hands thinking of nothing but the coldness he felt deep in his heart, the same deep pit where he'd once had Ginny's love, safe and sound. It was so cold that it burnt into his skin, through his ribs and spread like wildfire throughout his body.

Quickly passing her friends in the living room, Ginny went up the stairs to Harry's room where he sat in his crib playing with a small toy. He didn't smile when he saw her like usual, somehow knowing she was not okay, that she was barely holding herself together. She pulled him from the crib and sat in the rocking chair with him. She took deep breaths. Little one year old Harry leaned into her and wrapped him tiny little arms around her neck and she cried and cried, rocking both him and herself to sleep.

* * *

When Ginny woke up, she found Sirius asleep beside her, his back up against the wall. Harry was asleep in her arms, his embrace still around her. Her throat hurt and she could feel that her eyes were puffy and likely red too.

"Sirius," she whispered, trying not to wake Harry. He stirred and opened his eyes.

"You all right?" he whispered back.

She nodded. He stood and gently retrieved Harry and placed him in the crib.

"He's gone. Peter took him back to his flat."

"Lily and James?"

"Downstairs preparing funeral arrangements. Regulus has gone to complete whatever Dumbledore's assigned him. I'm going to drop you at home and come back to help with the funeral. I figure you'd prefer to be alone? You could stay here but it's nearly midnight."

Ginny glanced at the slumbering child and shook her head. "I'll go home," she decided.

She slept until morning and was still alone when she made herself some lunch. She tried to keep her mind blank, preferring to dwell on the funeral arrangements than her conversation with Remus. With Sirius, James, and Lily at work and Regulus gone, Ginny had no one to talk to about it.

Around three o'clock a loud _BANG! _erupted and startled Ginny. It was Awner, Lily and James's house elf. She wobbled at the knees and her big eyes watered.

"Awner…" Ginny's stomach dropped.

"Miss Ginny," Awner said through sodden tears. "Master Regulus ordered me to give you this, that you would understand where he'd gone." Awner held out the only token Ginny wished least to see - a small silver locket with the shape of a snake encrusted in green emeralds. The house elf crumbled to a heap on the floor, sobbing, banging her fists on the wooden floor. Tears, hot and fast, fell from Ginny's eyes. She allowed herself to collapse into the sofa, curling her knees beneath her. Her eyes became red and blotchy, puffed and painful for her very first true and loyal friend in this decade…

After a few hours she slowly came to the realization that there was only one other time she'd cried so openly, so hard: nearly four years ago when her world had come crashing around her for the first time.

Sirius walked through the front door and noticed Awner first. "There you are Awner, we've been looking for you for hours."

But then Sirius saw her. She'd stopped crying, not because she'd finished but because her eyes could not produce anymore tears to deliver down her cheeks. But she lay still on the sofa rolled up into a ball.

"Ginny, what happened?" Sirius asked, dropping everything in his hands where he stood and running to her. He knelt beside her brushing away soggy strands of hair from her face and rubbing her cheek with his thumb soothingly. In reply she merely held out the locket to him and he froze. She stared off at a blank wall. Gingerly taking it from her outstretched hand Sirius's breathing became strained. He gazed down at the locket as if it was the thing that had pulled Regulus deep into the clutches of an icy lake filled with dead bodies and saw to it that he drowned, that he was torn limb from limb by the sickly dead white hands. And in a way the locket itself was truly the culprit.

He screamed and Ginny flinched. He threw the locket with as much force as he could muster across the room where it left a decently sized dent in the white wall. Slipping his wand from his sleeve he cast curse after curse.

"Reducto! Confringo! Diffindo! Exumai! Bombarda!" But this was fruitless. The locket remained unharmed while deep gaping holes were made in the surrounding floorboards. "Crucio!" he bellowed. Sirius picked up the locket and threw it again over the sofa where Ginny laid and into the wall behind it. This time it stuck and its chain dangled like a bloody noose. "Defodio!" He lifted the locket from the floor now that it had been gouged from the wall. Pacing madly with it in hand he seemed to come to a realization and headed into the hallway. He disappeared into Ginny's room for only a moment and emerged with one basilisk fang clutched like a scythe in his hand. He readied the locket on the kitchen table.

Ginny closed her eyes but winced every time he plunged the fang deeper into the locket, through even the table below it. With both hands Sirius held the fang, brought it up far above his head and slammed it into the locket as hard as he could. At some point the force made the locket clink open. Again. Again. The locket emitted a sound like Ginny had never heard before but she did not cover her ears. She listened to it hiss, scream, and give a feeble defense before she knew it was destroyed completely but Sirius continued hacking away at it, grunting with each forceful attack.

When finally he'd worked himself out of energy he fell to the floor. Ginny, in her best attempt at using proper motor skills, slid from the couch and crawled to Sirius. He lay flat on his back, eyes wet, with the fang still gripped in his hand. Lifting each finger individually she removed the fang from his hand and tossed it away from them. She lay down beside Sirius, resting her head in the crook between his arm and chest and let her hand lay on his chest, right over his heart. It beat irregularly.

They remained that way together for a long while…

* * *

**I apologize for the tragedy of it all. Only two chapters left.**


	49. The Draught of Living Death

Chapter 49 - The Draught Living Death

The first night was difficult for them both. Sirius drank himself into a stupor until Ginny figured he'd had enough firewhiskey for one evening and put him to bed. She nursed a warm glass of red wine herself before she fell asleep in Regulus's bed. They spent the next day in silence, unbothered by anyone else, cohabitating quietly. No one came with casseroles or sorrow. They mourned together in the most intimate way, simply being near one another and acknowledging the other's grief silently.

The next morning Ginny sent a note out with the news as Sirius slowly ate some breakfast. She joined him.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I just…I don't even…I haven't thought one full cohesive thought," he admitted. "I wasted so much time hating him and all I wish for is more time to love him."

He laid out his hand and she took it in hers, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance.

"I'm still in a state of disbelief."

"I'm sorry Sirius. It's my fault. I should've tried harder to make him stay," Ginny told him.

His expression sharpened. "You have nothing to apologize for. You've done nothing wrong. If anything you made change for the better. Had it not been for you we would've never known each other and he would've died the same way anyways. Fate had its eye on him from the start. At least this time around it was with honor. He was never a Death Eater and therefore it's made all of the difference." Ginny wrapped an arm around Sirius, who was doing his best to remain composed. "You're the reason Regulus's death causes me grief instead of spite. So thank you."

The flat was empty and quiet until lunch when Peter came with Remus and a few Order members came in scattered groups. Lily and James sent an owl.

Remus and Peter returned again the next day, likely to make sure she and Sirius were eating and functioning properly. They helped around the flat, kept them company. They talked about a funeral but Sirius wouldn't hear it. Remus tiptoed around Ginny but she was glad he was there to comfort them.

Remus knew Ginny was hurting much more than she let on, probably trying to remain level headed for Sirius's sake. But he kept a close eye on her, even from a distance. She walked around like a ghost. She looked like she had a lot going on in her mind and he longed to know what it was.

She left around midday. "I'm going to the Cottage," she said, without much explanation. She gave Sirius a kiss on the head and he pulled her into a hug. She gave a short wave to Peter and half a glance at Remus before she disappeared into the other room.

"Do you think she's okay?" Remus asked tentatively, hours later. "She's been gone a while."

"Didn't she say she was going to Lily and James's? I'm sure she just needs time to cope." Peter replied.

"Yea…I'm sure."

"Lily will probably do a better job of it," Sirius commented. He looked away and took a sip of his drink.

The plight of the Marauders only grew worse. Remus and Peter were still with him late into the evening when an agitated and disheveled owl arrived bearing a note in quickly scrawled handwriting. Sirius read it and balked.

"Is it Halloween?"

Catching on immediately, Remus rushed over and took hold of the note reading it for himself. "Ginny was there," he mentioned disbelievingly.

"They've been betrayed?" Peter said.

"Don't you say a goddamned word!" Sirius barked, thinking of Ginny. "She would never betray them."

The note instructed them to meet at Headquarters. No one knew what happened. Lily and James were nowhere to be found.

"Dumbledore left two hours ago to investigate," Alice informed them when they arrived. "He told us expressly not to allow you lot to join him."

The waiting was agony.

It was near morning when the fireplace grew green and hot and the only glimmer of hope struck them. Dumbledore stepped through and their feelings of apprehension grew tenfold. But he was followed by Lily and then James holding onto little Harry, whose forehead had small lightning bolt scar emblazoned on it. Sirius let out a sigh of relief, thanking Merlin for the lives of his closest friends. Peter stood and embraced them, so happy tears reached his eyes. Remus sat still, comforted by their appearance.

But their friends did not seem so happy. Tears reached Lily's eyes first and she could not speak a word. James put his arms on her shoulders, around Harry as well and looked solemnly at his friends.

"Ginny's gone," he said simply.

All the shock and sadness reached them instantly. Peter nodded and did nothing else, quite beside himself over which emotion he should feel most greatly, grief or gratefulness. Sirius stood and left the room. A moment later, a loud crash emitted from the kitchen. Remus buried his face in his hands, hunched over his legs in his chair and cried.

* * *

Lily remembered that day as if it were yesterday, even if she'd been in a fog. Ginny Weasley walked into their home without knocking and Lily gave Harry an extra kiss on the forehead.

"How are you? I wished I'd known you were coming."

Ginny nodded. "That's alright. I just wanted to see you lot. Drinks?" she suggested and when James stood to help she waved him off. She came from the kitchen with three glasses full of firewhiskey.

Lily and James spoke quietly, asking how Sirius was and if he needed anything. Ginny answered with short simple sentences and concentrated on her drink. There wasn't much to say. So much death in such a short amount of time humbled one to silence usually.

James's eyes drooped. He was first to finish his drink. Lily took large gulps of her own.

"May I hold Harry?" Ginny asked kindly. Lily had felt light headed, even drowsy but she assumed it was the booze. She'd never done well with liquor. She handed her son over to Ginny who gave him a bottle of milk. James sluggishly smiled at his son until he finally fell over, barely breathing, in an awkward L position halfway falling off of the sofa. Lily looked down at him with concern but she could hardly maintain any worry.

"James?" she asked confusedly but she was suddenly so tired herself. She drank the last few drops of her drink and found it difficult to keep her eyes open. She lay herself down beside her husband and gazed sideways at Harry sitting on Ginny's lap through blurry vision. He'd almost had his entire bottle. "He must've been thirsty," Lily garbled.

"Yes. He's got to drink every drop." Ginny placed Harry back into his play pen and then sat by Lily, stroking her hair as the potion, what she knew now was the Draught of Living Death, she'd put in their drinks spread slowly through her. "You're my best friend Lily. I love you." Before she drifted off the last thing she heard Ginny say was, "Thank you for being my sister."

Lily and James awoke to a horror they would never be able to forget. They found themselves lying beside one another in the back of their bedroom closet concealed beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Terror and foreboding flooded them entirely and they rushed in search of their son. They entered the hall and instantly saw that their cottage was destroyed. Parts of the roof had been blasted away. Clutter and dust was everywhere. Tears pricked Lily's eyes and relief flooded her when she heard Harry screaming. They could hear him from down the hall. He was alive.

At the entrance to the nursery both of them stopped, unable to cope and gasping for air. Ginny's body lay motionless in front of Harry's crib, her brown eyes still open, her limbs out in multiple directions. Lily rushed around, crying, taking Harry in her arms and hugging him to her chest. She shook so much that she had to pass her son to James, who stood with bloodshot, tearful eyes over their friend. Both of them were unable to become calm. Lily knelt beside Ginny, closed her eyes, stroked her hair, held her hand. She lay down beside her best friend, her sister and sobbed.

They stayed at the Order Headquarters until the funeral.

The funeral had been small, only select members of the Order in attendance. Both Regulus and Ginny were buried together in a dark corner of Godric's Hollow cemetery, but only one grave was marked. No one could know that Ginny truly existed in this time.

No one quite knew how exactly to mourn Ginny's death. Ginny had kept that one fateful secret from them, from everyone. Sirius withdrew into a dark and quiet depression, so intricate and deep that others were afraid he would never dig himself out of it. Weeks later Sirius irrationally went to Malfoy Manor where he killed five Death Eaters that had been present. He successfully planted himself in St. Mungo's for a while after Peter and James went after him. Lily cried for weeks, her tears alternating between those of resolute gratitude and passionate grief. She saw it not as a sacrifice for Harry but as a sacrifice for her and James. James kept himself quite together but there were moments of silence that Lily could not break him from.

And Remus. Remus went to see Lily and James weeks later. He wanted to see Harry. And when he did, he felt the desire to curse the infant. He didn't and left straight away. He went underground with other werewolves for about a year. Lily was upset that he'd gone but James understood. He was damn furious that Remus wanted, however fleetingly, to curse his son but he understood nonetheless and welcomed him with open arms when Remus finally returned.

They didn't understand what had happened. Ginny had been their Keeper. How had Voldemort been able to enter the Cottage unless she told him? It was clear where her loyalty lay, sacrificing herself in their place. But why?

It wasn't until much later that the Potter's returned to their cottage to repair the damages and found her letter. They found it on Harry's dresser underneath a pile of rubbish, nearly being swept away with the rest of the rubble. Lily's heart stopped when she came across it. In the last hours of her life, Ginny had taken the time to explain herself.

_Dear Lily,_

_Don't grieve too much for me. You see, it was always meant to be this way. It took me a while to realize it myself but I guess I knew it would happen like this. I think Harry knew that day he sent me back to this time. He knew I had to die but he loved me too much to tell me so._

_As you know, when I was eleven I was possessed by the bit of soul Voldemort had concealed inside his diary. It was passed to me by Lucius Malfoy, shoved in the pages of a young girl's secondhand school book. Tom Riddle nearly was reincarnated, just short of killing me in the process. But Harry came to my rescue. At twelve years old he destroyed his first Horcrux. During the time of his possession of me, the part of Voldemort's soul from the diary took residence within me, and I am afraid that even now, a small remnant of it, so minute it is unnoticeable, never left. I was the reason Harry couldn't end the Dark Lord in my time. _

_When I came to this realization, I knew that if I simply allowed myself to be killed by him, history would very well repeat itself and you and James would die protecting Harry. What would stop him from continuing to seek out Harry? I thought I would make use of my inevitable death, and take your place instead._

_After my escape from Lestrange Manor, the diary and cup in tow, I was found by Severus Snape. Fortunate as I was to have escaped, I was in terrible shape as I am sure you can imagine. So terribly much worse than when I eventually showed up on your doorstep. Severus brought me to his home and took care of me. I am sure I was physically useless for days and he brewed potion after potion to revive me and to heal me. I came up with a plan and I needed his expertise for it to follow through. I stayed with him for three weeks. During this time he brewed his most powerful Draught of Living Death. _

_After that I came back to the Marauders. I stayed with Regulus and Sirius and hid away the potions I knew I would have to use in the near future. I waited for the Fidelius Charm to be set because I knew it was the only way I could assure that only I would be in the Cottage, with you and James hidden according to plan. I made sure I was Secret Keeper so that no one could be blamed, no one could betray you. _

_When Regulus died my heart nearly couldn't take it. But I know what I need to do. I left the flat and went to Spinner's End. I wrote a note of your location meant for the Dark Lord for Severus to pass on at the proper moment. And then I made my way to you._

_Don't believe for a moment Severus Snape has a heart that's grown three sizes too big. He would have done none of this if he didn't believe that it was all for you, for your sake. He dedicated his time to me unfalteringly because he knew his protection over me would make you happy. He knew my death would upset you more than any protection could but he understood my death meant you would live. He had compassion though. He loves you more than his own life._

_Tonight, I put the potion in your drinks and waited for you both to fall unconscious. It didn't take very long, and I hid you away, and covered you both with the Invisibility Cloak._

_I put Harry in his crib. He isn't crying. He's comfortable with me. That makes me happier than I can admit. _

_If all goes as planned, Voldemort will tell me to step aside. Severus will have asked him to spare my life just as he would've asked for you. I will unwaveringly stand my ground. Voldemort will kill me and his curse will rebound, destroying himself in the process. _

_Because of my sacrifice, Harry will have the most powerful protection magic can provide him. It is a blood protection that Dumbledore knows of. In my time, Dumbledore put this protection over Harry and Petunia, because you died for him and both he and Petunia share your blood. But over a year ago you and I shared blood and made a pact for the purpose of keeping Harry out of Petunia's abhorrent care. However, this has worked in a different favor. Magically, this made us sisters, and my blood, which flows through you, also flows through your son. So as long as he calls Potter Cottage home, he will be protected._

_I love you. And I love Harry. Just remember I am not gone forever. One day, I'll return to you._

_Always,_

_Ginny_

Lily had originally thought, a year ago, that the blood pact they made would allow Ginny to be the one to raise Harry if she and James were to sacrifice themselves for him. But as Ginny intended to be the sacrifice, this allowed Lily to keep her son. It was wherever Ginny's blood resided that Harry had to call home and Ginny made sure her blood ran through Lily's, and thus Harry's veins.

James might've taken the entire Auror Department looking for Snape but naturally, Dumbledore and Lily defended him.

It took some time for the Marauder's to cope with the extent of their loss but eventually they returned to the happy group they'd once been. The Order was disbanded until it would be needed again years later, which it would. Harry was a Horcrux which meant one day Voldemort would return. But not plagued by Death Eaters every other day, they were able to live a thoroughly pleasant life.


	50. The Years Ahead

**I've been edging to get this done for years. This is the last chapter of Make it in Time and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. I've looked back on some of the earlier chapters that are terrible and have multitudes of errors and immature ideas from when I was younger and writing this story. But it's been with me through a lot. I'm quite proud of it. I do plan on some point going through it and correcting it and enhancing it but for now I'll leave it to you to enjoy. Thanks to all!**

* * *

Chapter 50: The Years Ahead

Five Years Later

"I'm nervous to meet them," Rebecca admitted. She squeezed Sirius' hand hard and he hung back from knocking on the door. "I'm not like you all, what if they don't like me because I'm not… magic?"

She gave him a look of unadulterated insecurity. Even Muggles, unaware of the goings on in the Wizarding World, were skeptical of prejudice. Sirius shook his head and gave her a warming smile. "You're magic to me," he told her and she blushed furiously. "Becca, honestly, they're going to love you. They don't care whether you're a witch or not, they just like to see me happy. And I am. And besides, Lily's sister and brother-in-law are Muggles and they tolerate them."

Becca's face fell again. "Oh, so at best they'll tolerate me," she said lamely and Sirius held up her chin.

"You listen to me. Lily's sister is fowl. You are wonderful." Becca smiled as he knocked on the door. Immediately, they heard footfalls from within the cottage of a young boy followed by a woman's voice exclaiming, "Harry, you aren't allowed to open the door by yourself!"

"It's only me Lily," Sirius called inside just as the young, speckled, mop-headed six-year-old flung the door open. He had a strange scar the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled with his arms open wide and Sirius lifted his godson and swung him in a wide circle. "You know, you're about three inches taller than you were yesterday," Sirius told him when he'd set the boy down. "Stand up straight." Obediently, Harry stood his very tallest and Becca noticed he was almost on his tip toes with excitement. Sirius pretended as though he were inspecting Harry and after a long pause he proclaimed, "Four inches. Yep, four inches taller."

Harry's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he ran into the kitchen yelling, "Mum, mum, did you hear what Sirius said?"

An older, much taller version of the boy appeared before them from the hallway. He wrapped his arms around Sirius as though they hadn't seen each other in months. "He'll be a hundred feet tall by June if you keep that up."

"Give or take a few inches. James, this is Rebecca," Sirius introduced.

Becca held out her hand. "Please, call me Becca. It's nice to finally meet you. Sirius talks about you all the time."

The handsome man looked down at her hand curiously and back up to her face. "Sirius didn't tell you, did he?"

Becca, with eyes wide, glanced from James to Sirius and back again. "Tell me what?"

"How wizards greet new people. We don't greet with handshakes," James told her, looking slightly insulted.

"Oh, I'm so sor – "

"Ignore my husband," a beautiful woman with dark red hair said, taking her still outstretched hand and pulling her into a hug. Becca smiled. "I'm Lily. My husband is being infantile. Handshakes are perfectly fine, but we hug such special guests as you. Please, I've got some firewhiskey set up for us. I daresay with these jokers, we'll need it."

Lily dragged Becca behind her into the kitchen. "What's firewhiskey?"

"Better than regular whiskey, and easier on the way down," Lily replied with a smile.

"Lovely," Becca replied, accepting a glass.

Dinner was ready not long after Sirius and Becca had arrived. Lily had made roast beef with asparagus and potatoes and Becca thought it tasted wonderful.

"So Becca, what's it like being a Muggle?" James asked insensitively.

"James," Lily scolded.

"Oh it's alright. I've been dying to ask just the opposite. Sirius is the only wizard I know and he doesn't tell me much. I'm so curious!"

Lily chuckled. "Always the rebel, Sirius," she commented, touching on a different subject. "I have to say though, I'm not surprised. Your parents must be turning in their graves."

"Your parents don't like Muggles?" Becca asked, intuitively.

James, the dutiful best friend, said nothing.

"Did he ever tell you that there are some wizards and witches that are quite prejudiced against Muggles and Muggle-borns? Mind you, that's not any of us. But Sirius's parents were severe in their beliefs," Lily asked.

"Must we talk about this?"

"She's got a right to know and besides, it's probably best coming from me than the rubbish you'll say."

"Do you really dislike your parents that much?"

"I loathed them," he answered her simply. He turned to Lily. "Funny you'd say all this though. A long time ago, Ginny once said that'd I end up with a Muggle just to piss off the folks six feet under."

James and Lily smiled. Becca wondered who Ginny was.

"Ginny was right even about the things she hadn't experienced then," James said wistfully.

The group remained silent for drawn out moment, and Becca realized this girl must have passed away. She'd never seen Sirius be so somber. Apparently not even over the death of his own parents.

"What happened to her?" she asked gently.

"Ginny died protecting all of us. Protecting Harry. She died in the war," James answered her.

"It was much more sacrificial than James is letting on," Sirius added quietly.

Becca nodded. Sirius had told her about The War. That the terrible weather and the many murders in the papers had been the result of The War. Most of the time, he preferred not to talk about it and she never pressed. She'd seen his scars both physically and emotionally. She knew he'd lost his brother in a similar fashion.

"Have you gone to see her?" Lily asked. "We went once but thought it might be strange since we don't know her parents."

James smiled. "Saw her outside playing with her twin brothers. She's a great flyer."

"I met her once, at the Ministry. I was talking to her dad and Molly came by with her. She called me Mr. Black," he said with a smile and a shake of his head.

Severely confused, Becca wondered if wizards and witches were reincarnated. They spoke about her as if she was growing up all over again. But before she could ask the subject was changed again and her attention was captivated by James transfiguring random objects into variously sized rubber chickens.

* * *

Six years later

"What did you say to Professor Snape?" a twelve year old, and very flabbergasted Ron Weasley asked his younger sister at dinner that evening. The entire Great Hall was buzzing. "It's all around the school. I heard he gave you thirty points throughout your first class!"

Hermione Granger scowled, slightly jealous.

"How'd you get Snape to like you?" Harry Potter asked and Ginny could've thrown up with joy. Harry Potter, _the_ Harry Potter was actually talking to her. "Do me loads of help in Potions if he didn't bark at me every time I took a breath."

"He throws points at you like confetti," Ron complained, shoving an overloaded spoon of sweet potatoes into his already full mouth.

In complete honesty, Ginny had no idea what had happened in her first Potions lesson to earn those thirty-five points Snape had given her. Like every other first year, Ginny had walked into the dungeon classroom absolutely terrified of the man. For the majority of the summer she'd listened to her older brothers telling her terrible stories of how he treated his students, especially if they weren't in Slytherin, especially if they were in Gryffindor. He hated Gryffindors, was severely strict, nasty, and greasy. At the end of the summer Harry had come to stay with them and solidified her brothers' stories with his own testimonials, which were just as bad if not worse than her brothers'.

Professor Snape had displayed precisely the image the boys had illustrated for her. He was short with them all, barked quick directions none of them understood, and yes, was rather greasy. He was so intimidating Ginny had ducked her head away from him when he passed by her, trying to stay away from his attention.

Everything changed when he decided to call roll. Of course, her name had been last.

"Ginny Weas – Weasley?" he seemed to just barely stammer out and his eyes moved for the first time from the parchment he had read from and searched the classroom.

"I'm right here," she said, raising her hand timidly. His brows must've been sewn to his hairline he looked so bewildered upon the sight of her.

From then on he walked about the classroom instead of remaining at his desk, going passed Ginny's cauldron multiple times and asking her questions and giving her points on the potion he'd assigned them.

"Have you ever heard of the Draught of Living Death?"

Ginny shook her head, still intimidated.

"It's a very tricky potion. You'll learn it in your sixth year," he said casually before moving on.

Maybe five minutes later, as Ginny looked at her secondhand book and followed its directions, Professor Snape leaned over her shoulder and for some reason a sense of déjà vu overcame her.

"Ten points to Gryffindor."

Ginny's eyes widened, as did those of her classmates. Nearly everyone dropped what they were doing to stare at her in disbelief. That was surely an inordinate amount of points to give a first year for merely stirring her potion in the proper manner. Especially to a student in a competing house. To a Gryffindor. From a Slytherin.

She was exceedingly shocked to receive such attention from a most universally hated professor and garnered much jealousy from her friends and classmates. But without a reason as to why Snape treated her so well, nothing could be done of it, and she simply learned to accept his attentions and went on to be a wonderful potioneer, naturally because she became his only student that he did not bully.

* * *

Four years later

Remus put his hand over hers, attempting to stay as far away from her as possible. He moved his hand fluidly, making hers follow beneath his. She mimicked the curves and motions of his hand perfectly.

"Now say the incantation."

"Expecto Patronum," she said and from her wand tip exploded with astounding ferocity the silver stallion Remus was so familiar with. His heart nearly stopped.

Immediately, he broke his embrace from her. Now, it didn't seem all that long ago that their positions were flipped, that she stood behind him, held his elbow up and moved his hand along with hers. It wasn't long ago that she had her arms wrapped around him to teach him the very same spell. But he had to remind himself that she was only fifteen now. That it actually was very long ago when Ginny, his Ginny, had taught him that spell. She didn't remember the evenings they spent in the Riddle mansion, or the days when they'd come back to camp and talk for hours, momentarily forgetting, blissfully forgetting the horcruxes they were searching for. They'd spent the best years of his life together and she didn't remember.

"_How could she have done that!? She left after all we've been through!" he screamed. "Didn't she love me? It's been years since she's been with Harry and a year since he's been born. She couldn't have still loved him like she loved me!" Abandoned and heartbroken, Remus fell into Sirius' armchair. _

"_Mate, she did love you," his friend assured him and Remus gave him an anguished disbelieving glare. "We all know she did, even James and Lily believe it, as little as they wish to admit it. It wasn't how much she loved Harry that outweighed her love for you. She did love him. But it was how much she loved you that made her want to save your…our future."_

At the time, Remus had accepted this explanation painful as it was. That these words of wisdom were coming from Sirius, who had double the grief at the time, was something to be noted, but there was too much to be done for anyone to give him any recognition. Ginny was dead, Harry had killed Voldemort but was now officially a Horcrux, and Lily and James were dealing with its consequences.

Ginny flew to Harry's embrace and he kissed her in congratulations; Remus blanched. She was in love with him, he could tell by the glow in the apples of her cheeks.

"With that final success, I'm going to take leave," he said. They were all staying in Potter Manor for the Christmas holidays, the Weasley's and Granger's and Order alike. Once more, the Manor had become Headquarters for the Order.

It was after dinner that Remus was rethinking the events of that afternoon and the shock of his loss. He sat in the kitchen alone drinking tea when he heard someone knock timidly at the door.

"Come in," he said after gathering his thoughts once more.

"Good evening Professor Lupin," Hermione greeted softly, joining him at the kitchen table.

"Good evening Miss Granger. How are your studies coming along? I was just about to make some more tea. Interested?"

"Yes please," she answered sitting down in one of the seats at the table.

She took a deep breath and continued. "Sir, as you know I am quite good friends with Harry."

"There's quite a bit of evidence that would give testament to that, yes," he answered lightly.

Hermione colored a bit and gave a slight roll of her eyes at his teasing before continuing. "I was just wondering how adept your abilities are with Occlumency. You see, he had some lessons with Snape – "

"Professor Snape," Remus amended.

"Professor Snape. And well, Harry has never gotten along with Professor Snape and I think Professor Snape wasn't really the proper one to teach him. He's very…harsh." Hermione looked worried that Remus might reprimand her for speaking ill of her teacher, even though it was in the service of a friend. "But I still think he needs to learn it, even though he's refusing. Last year was a mess I know. I wonder if-"

"I can't," he answered too quickly and Hermione's brows crunched together with concern, not expecting that sort of response. He steadied himself. Being so close to Ginny today stole away his vigilance. "I mean… Professor Snape is a very gifted wizard and should not have an issue instructing Harry. But if there is an emotional detachment it can become more difficult, especially with a relationship as strained as theirs probably is. I'll talk to Sirius. Perhaps he might have a better go at it."

"Why couldn't you? Harry trusts you," she asked with reason.

Dumbledore chose Snape simply because he was the best at closing his mind. It was risky for any of them to teach him, with memories of Ginny at bay. Sharing his memories with Harry would be more detrimental than any other. "I expect that Sirius is privy to more of Harry's personal life than I am and would make the sharing of memories more relaxed," Remus answered, trying to sound honest instead of agitated.

Hermione agreed and thanked him for listening with an open mind.

He and Hermione casually continued their conversation a bit longer until she conceded that had to go and study. But before she left she said, "And sir, Harry and Ginny are two of my closest friends."

"So we've discussed, at least partially anyway," he said, mimicking his teasing tone.

"I mean simply to imply that you should not hurt them," she said pointedly and the sixteen year-old left him behind in his loneliness. She really was the brightest witch of her age.

* * *

One year later: The Battle of Hogwarts

Ginny was outside on the grounds of the castle looking over bodies, trying to find anything alive. She leaned over a young girl, younger than herself, barely old enough to wield a wand.

"I want my mum…" she whispered half-heartedly. Ginny saw a deep gash in the girl's left calf as if someone had used a gouging curse on her.

"It's alright. It's okay. We're going to get you inside," Ginny told her, trying to keep her voice from wavering too much.

"But I want to go _home_. I don't want to fight anymore," the girl answered feebly before falling unconscious. Ginny heard a rustle of grass and she turned but there was no one there. When she turned back to the girl Luna was beside her and helped her sit the girl up. They glanced at each other, recognizing at once the deep bleeding coming from across her abdomen. Together they hurried her into the Great Hall.

_Harry walked farther toward the forest, wishing, just wishing it was he who Ginny was nursing. But steadfastly he put one foot in front of the other. He was the Horcrux. He did not speak and did not look back._

Two Aurors had seen Ginny and Luna in the field of bodies and carried the girl into the castle; Ginny followed them inside to the Great Hall. Her heart fell. The entirety of the Hall's floor was covered in bodies, injured and dead, some with families surrounding them, others left unidentified. There was a long row down one wall of the dead, still warm even, as if they were napping. She looked away and walked toward her family.

Remus watched the sixteen year old Ginny step around the injured and he could only think that she looked exactly as she had the first day he'd seen her twenty years ago. The smudges of dirt, the cuts, the half-limp, the sadness and desperation were all in the same places they'd been before. There were Aurors treating the injured, older students and Dumbledore's Army members looking for survivors amidst the quiet battlefield. Remus, with Ginny still in his peripheral, knelt over a boy bleeding from his hands. He raised his wand.

_Hagrid's hut loomed out of the darkness. There was no illumination…all those visits to Hagrid's faded away, no rock cakes or illegal magical creatures._

_He moved on, and now reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He stopped._

_There were dementors, too many of them and he knew it would be impossible to produce a patronus at this moment. He shivered…He was walking toward his death. _

Sirius leaned over an unconscious girl and whispered a few spells over her. A few paces away, Remus was doing the same to another wizard. Remus kept glancing up though, distracted but relieved. Sirius followed the path of his eyes and naturally found Ginny. Suddenly, Sirius was thrown back twenty years at the sight of Ginny Weasley popping unceremoniously from the wall just as she looked now and he knew Remus was thinking similarly. His head swung back to his friend whose eyes followed Ginny unwaveringly.

Even dirty, injured, and anguished she was still too beautiful, just as he remembered. He felt again the sorrow of death, the fear of losing her. Remus trembled. He searched the hall for Harry but found James on the opposite side of Sirius instead. Beside him was his wife and both of them looked as though they were using all their might to remain level-headed as they worked over the injured. By now, Harry was in the forest, walking to his death. Harry was somewhere, sacrificing his life for the people he loved. It pained Remus to know this while Ginny remained ignorant of her own beloved's whereabouts.

A girl with dirty blonde hair approached Ginny and she followed toward where Augusta Longbottom was nursing a boy who was shaking uncontrollably. Remus watched as, even through her own tears, she calmed the boy easily just as her mother had calmed her brothers for years. Young and damaged, Ginny wiped sweat from her forehead, smearing her own and others' blood across her cheek.

"_That headcase Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here," said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder._

"_Time's nearly up. Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."_

"_And he was so sure he'd come!"_

_Harry followed the Death Eaters and it was moments before light appeared where it normally should not, deeper into the forest. He walked on ignoring every instinct he had._

Lily sat with Firenze as James magically wrapped his arms. Peter lay in the corner beside Firenze with Sirius attempting lamely to treat the gouge in his right arm. Madam Pomfrey hurried over and shoved him aside.

Remus's eyes lingered over Ginny as she rejoined her family. Hermione embraced her and Remus wanted to scream when tears sprang from her eyes. A hand fell heavy on his shoulder. Sirius. They stood now beside Peter, who sat with his back resting against the wall, watching together.

"He's in the forest now," Sirius said softly of his godson.

"Yes," Remus acknowledged. "Just as self-sacrificing as his parents."

_And Ginny too_, seemed to resonate between them but they were silent.

Remus watched the group of mourning redheads. Ginny stood wrapped in Hermione's embrace crying, looking over her brothers and parents, eight miraculously alive, one painfully lost. Instinctively, he took a step forward but Sirius put a hand on his shoulder again.

"You can't mate." They both looked around and found Tonks talking to Kingsley a short distance away.

Remus loved his wife, and his son, more than the whole world. It was something else entirely, something more that drew him to Ginny, always to Ginny. His eyes returned to where she had been standing but she'd gone and his eyes searched frantically to find her again.

"There," James said, coming up on Remus's left and pointing. Ginny slowly was stepping away from her parents and family. She stopped and gazed out a broken window, away from the wall and out to the grounds. They could only see the back of her. "What's she doing?"

"_Harry Potter," Voldemort said very softly. "The Boy Who Lived."_

Ginny clutched her wand tighter. Lily now stood with them, all of them watching her, blind to anything else.

_Hagrid was struggling, Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his - _

Ginny's fingertips leapt to her mouth -

_Voldemort raised his wand._

"_Avada Kedavra."_

They saw Ginny jerk as if she'd been hit in the chest with the Killing Curse. Remus leapt forward and even Lily started but Peter took hold of the hems of their robes. They half-expected her to fall to the floor, dead. But she did not fall. Her head whipped around, frantic, in stark, jerky movements, searching eyes scaling every person and for what they did not know. Remus' heart stopped. Their grips on one another grew tighter. He felt Sirius clutch his shoulder harder. Ginny's eyes found them and grew wide at the sight of the five of them together against the wall, all looking back at her. Her jaw contracted with speechlessness. Her eyes left them and darted in every direction, attempting to control, to make something out of her confusion. Her lips said something that none of them could read. Her eyes met each of theirs in turn, Remus last.

"You don't think…"

"Yes."

"She must."

"She remembers," Remus breathed as Ginny's eyes finally met his and a single prolonged tear streaked clean her dirty cheek.

She made to move toward them but was pulled in by her family once more and soon after they heard what they dreaded most to hear.

"Harry Potter is dead!"

Her head spun again and she was running. James and Lily were right after her and everyone followed.

"No!" Lily screamed.

Ginny ran forward but was caught by her father.

Voldemort and his Death Eater's approached, Harry quite visible in Hagrid's arms.

"Silence!"

The Dark Lord went through his victory speech, welcoming them to his ranks as they glared back at him. Lily poured herself to the ground, wanting to rush the vile serpent of a man. James was held back by Sirius.

And then the miraculous happened. The ground began to shake as giants and centaurs rushed the castle. Neville Longbottom swung the sword of Godric Gryffindor, killing the snake. Hagrid was screaming "HARRY! WHERE'S HARRY!?"

Ginny frantically searched as she ran back toward the castle, shooting spells every which way. The battle waged on once more and she found herself dueling with Luna and Hermione against the formidable Bellatrix Lestrange.

From afar, Remus saw the Killing Curse barely miss her. He wondered if Bellatrix even recognized the girl she nearly tortured to insanity almost twenty years ago.

And then Molly Weasley, in all her motherly power, interrupted the duel. She over powered Bellatrix and Voldemort wailed.

Harry revealed himself and screams of joy erupted throughout the hall. James and Lily could not contain their happiness. And finally, Harry defeated him. The war was over. Voldemort had been vanquished.

Ginny wondered at how many feelings she had all at once. Relief that Harry was alive. Happiness that the war was over. Grief over her brother and friends. Wonder at the destruction around her. Fear that there would another attack. Amazement at her new found memory.

The war had been won. And after all her hard work. Hardly a lifetime each but she'd lived twice and remembered it. Harry was off shaking the hands of any witch or wizard that approached him. He was there to console the bereaved and be congratulated. She would have her time with him. Perhaps even her whole life. For now, her mind was elsewhere. She looked towards her friends who were again all looking at her. Everyone thought Harry was the only hero. But they knew. And that was all that mattered.

She strode towards them, needing to speak to them. They were her peers now and it was difficult to perceive them as something else, even after years of looking up to them as parents, teachers, Aurors and adults. But they were her friends, friends from a childhood separate from this one. James and Sirius nodded to her as she approached. Remus had barely an expression until Peter kicked him and he forced a smile. They made a space for her in the middle of them all and she just wanted to stare at them with these new, knowing eyes. None of them said anything at first but merely listened to their surroundings, drinking in the sweet victory. Ginny didn't know where to start. It was all so overwhelming. She remembered losing Harry. She remembered losing Remus. There were so many pasts for her to recall and her head became clouded.

"Welcome back to the Marauders," Sirius said finally and everyone managed a laugh.

Ginny sighed with relief. "I can't believe it. We've won. We're all alive. Each of has died, at least to me, and yet we're all here. All of us."

"Because of you," Lily said tearfully.

James put an arm on her shoulder. "Is it weird seeing us as adults? It's been fascinating watching you grow up."

"You didn't have such an intricate interest in my well-being last time around, I remember. But yes, it's different…you're all so…"

"Old?" James finished.

Ginny shook her head. "Talented. Wonderful. Happy. I feel like I don't belong."

"But you do," Lily reassured her with glittering eyes. "You always will. You're our friend, my sister. Always and forever."

"Doesn't that mean Harry and I are related?" she asked with some concern and her friends laughed.

Sirius shrugged. "James is a pureblood, the Weasley's are purebloods…it's more than likely you were already related to begin with," he said with a wink at Ginny. "You're technically my cousin somewhere in there too."

"A really big and really strange family," Ginny agreed.

"Happy family," James corrected.

The one question seemed to float in the air around them. How did she remember now, how did her memories return to her after all this time?

"It was Snape. He was brilliant you know. When I returned to Spinner's End to give him the note he gave me a final potion, one that I had not asked him for. He said it was for Harry. I took my memories, all of them, into a vial and my blood as well. He completed the potion. I gave it to Harry before I died…Merlin that's strange. But I suppose it activated this evening."

"Probably when Voldemort tried to kill Harry again."

"Wondrous."

"Go find Harry," she told his parents. "There's plenty we need to do."

Sirius eyed Remus. "I'm going to go help," he excused himself, letting Ginny and Remus be alone.

"A walk?" Ginny offered.

"Of course," Remus said, stifling his delight.

Knowing now everything she'd gone through, one lifetime and a part of a new one, still didn't change anything. That she loved Remus was true; that love remained strictly in the past however, in her past life. Her current life overrode what had happened then. She loved Harry, always had and always would without question or qualifications. He was never a coward and always a champion.

Ginny found herself incapable of looking at Harry as she and Remus passed him toward the Headmaster's office. It would be inappropriate to hold his hand but Ginny's hand, of its own accord, laced itself in between Remus's fingers once they were out of view of everyone in the Great Hall. They walked slowly, cherishing this because they knew it was their last moment.

"It's like you're back from the dead. I don't even know how to explain it. Watching you grow up but knowing somehow it isn't really you. And now suddenly…" he squeezed her hand.

"You're married," she commented, feeling his wedding band between theirs hands.

"Yes. Sirius too, incredibly. To a muggle."

Ginny laughed quite openly at this and nodded. "Yes I met her over Christmas a couple years ago. Rebecca, right? And they're to have a baby soon."

He nodded.

"And Teddy?"

"He's the most incredible little thing in the world," Remus acknowledged but offered nothing else.

"Your scars got so worse," Ginny observed and Remus sighed at his own memory.

"After you were killed – Merlin, you're right. That sounds so weird – I sort of went haywire. I went underground for a year with the other wolves. It wasn't my best choice but it was what I need to handle… what had happened."

"I had to though. He is, or was, our future. He's still my future. And I love him."

"I know. He's lucky to have you."

They stopped at a window on the second floor and watched the sun rise. The castle was quiet away from the Great Hall. This would likely be the last time they could act this way undisturbed. They held hands and spoke softly of their futures, his with Teddy and Tonks, and hers with Harry.


End file.
